


The Humanity You Gave Back To Me

by ShaeraHaek



Series: Haikyuu Space AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ? - Freeform, Akaashi is an AI, Akaashi is genderless but not really, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Bokuto wants to be the Space Pirate King, Comedy, Gen, Horror, KUROO IS A DORK, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sidewalk Chalk, Space AU, chapter 3 filled with sappiness, cute owl-like bots, domestic IwaOi, don´t ask, full of plot, it is not as deep as the summary suggests tho, no smut I am sorry, pirate raids, sorry for that one, spooky space ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-02 00:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5227811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaeraHaek/pseuds/ShaeraHaek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Investigating a crashed cargo ship, Bokuto - a space pirate aiming for the title of the King- hunts for a grand treasure said to be worth several years of high-paying jobs. Little does he know, however,  that the ship is not what it seems to be, and the treasure hidden in its depths is worth more than all the gold in the world. </p><p>What he finds inside makes him learn the price in which humanity is measured, and see what tragedy a hurt soul breeds. </p><p>**OR: A Space Pirate AU nobody asked for but I still made**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I came, I saw, I Fell Through a Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, it is totally my fault that this was made... I made myself do this.  
> Art that could help you get a better picture here:
> 
> http://shaerahaek.tumblr.com/post/132690718636/haikyuu-space-au-space-piratebokuto-and  
> http://shaerahaek.tumblr.com/post/133272878216/kg-ebot-500-i-swear-i-did-not-make-up-an-entire
> 
> I just really, really liked the idea of Space Pirate!Bokuto and AI!Akaashi. I am sorry...
> 
> *Thank you goes to BambooFoxFireProcuctions for putting up with my shit and beta-ing this*  
> **Second thank you goes to Szabi - as usual - for being a good listener and also putting up with my shit**

  
"Bro, this ship is in awfully good condition, all things considered!" Bokuto exclaimed with a mix of excitement and awe.

"Oho?" Kuroo's distracted voice cracked though the earpiece, accompanied by furious typing. "Indulge me with a description, bro, something is still ruining our visual - Kenma, try putting it on-" his voice faded out into a low murmur, perhaps to ask the co-pilot to try a different channel or something - he had the tendency to cover his mic every time he talked to the man. Bokuto didn't mind, he had better things to entertain himself with than to listen to the duo argue over their malfunctioning equipment: like the treasures of the crashed spaceship he just broke into.

"Keep talking, Bo, we need to know if this knocks out the sound, too."

"Try to look for jammers," Kenma's calm voice joined in with a new bout of typing.

"I think we wouldn't be able to hear each other if a jammer was causing it," Bokuto argued as he stepped deeper into the hallway.

"Something is definitely interfering with our equip, bro, better keep an eye out."

"Alright, darling, I'll look for your jammers," Bokuto teased, getting a kissy sound in return. "Couldn't it be my retinal enhancements? Queen Bee might have scammed us."

"You say  _us_  but it is really just you. Also, although Oikawa scams for money, he doesn't gamble with his goods - that would ruin his business. He might have taken a couple of grands too much for them but you definitely got the absolute best peepers. It's definitely something inside that ship that's messing with us. Stay on your toes and tell me what your elf eyes see."

"I see a lot of money in my pocket if I get to the treasure," Bokuto giggled. "Nothing unusual around - debris blocking the left hallway, broken lights, cables hanging from the ceiling…" He trailed off, looking around. "When is the scan gonna be ready? I hate to explore without your input."

"The Kitty is almost done, Kenma is showing me 87 percent, so I think about 15 more minutes. The pre-scan we brought is speeding this up a lot. Don't get lost in the meanwhile."

Oh, right, the pre-scan he got from Ushiwaka - the sole reason why they were in this God-forgotten crash site in the middle of literal nowhere (Kuroo's wording). However, nothing could deter Bokuto Koutaro from trying his luck at taking Ushijima's place on the throne of Space Pirates. Being among the best 5 just didn't cut it for him anymore.

The golden opportunity presented itself a month ago, when he caught the first whispers about Ushijima's crew returning from a raid empty handed and one member short. Nobody knew where they'd been or what the goal was but fortunately for Bokuto (and unfortunately for the rest of his and Kuroo's crew), Oikawa was one of the people Ushijima liked to pour his heart out to, so the rough details got to him pretty quickly (even though his wallet sustained a significant portion of damage for that). Kuroo was edgy about the lack of proper info and the fact that Oikawa was genuinely reluctant about bringing up the topic (Ushiwaka was one of the topics he loved to poke at) lead them to a shabby establishment in V12 - one of the 5 most notorious pirate-packed Sky Cities of Venus where the King's crew preferred to stay during their days off.

There they've learned two things: the rumor about a dead crewmember was true and it hit the party pretty hard (Bokuto remembered the lad - ambitious, bouncy, bowl cut guy who used to trail after Ushijima like a puppy, always biting his ankles), and the place of the crash site which turned out to be tucked somewhere among Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. That itself wouldn't have been very helpful if it wasn't for Ushijima's lack of vigilance which enabled them to lift The Swan's logbook and a pre-scan of the crashed ship.

"I'm not deep enough to get lost yet. There's a door at the end of the right hallway, I'm gonna try to get through. Not much besides that, just more debris and something that looks like a busted emergency panel."

Five minutes later, Bokuto was kicking the door down with a satisfied sigh. "Man, Oikawa has really outdone himself this time. The cutters are awesome!"

"Glad to hear that," Kuroo chuckled, "the scan is almost done," a pause, " hey, have you gone inside?"

"Yeah, why?"

He heard him murmur something about a lagging map and then two loud thuds, "a lot of static coming in, can you hear me clearly?"

"No problems on my end so far, is it bad?" Bokuto stopped his advance, flinging a few cables away.

"I can manage," which in translation meant that Kenma has disconnected from their conversation, "alright, the maximum visual we've got is an unstable dot on this map so be generous with description. I'm leaving the video on in case we get a signal. Be careful, I've heard a lot of shit about this place."

"You mean the ghost stuff? Don't tell me you believe that!" As if to prove Kuroo's point, the connection stuttered, making a screechy, high-pitched moan.

"Woah, too spooky," Bokuto snorted, making his way to the nearest door. "The scariest thing about this place is that nobody got the money safe yet."

"Yeah, whatever's in there put an end to the King Pirate's successful raid streak. Be careful," Kuroo warned, trying to sound cheeky, but Bokuto didn't miss the subtle tension in his voice. "Fucking scans. Alright, the thing we want you to get to should be in the middle of the ship which basically means you need to get through at least five, six... seven? Yeah, seven doors to get there. You've already busted one and that lead you to... the break room area?"

"Just an empty hallway." He looked around, spotting an open door on the right. "Yeah, you're right." He  poked his head in, turning the flashlight on, only to be greeted by rust and floating rubbish. "Holy hell, that's weird."

"What's up?"

"It's rusty," Bokuto informed silently, carefully inspecting the walls. "Everything is covered in rust."

"What? How is that possible?!" Kuroo questioned, his voice filtering into his ear accompanied by typing.

"It's also in the hallway, too. I didn't notice it before. This is crazy!" Bokuto marvelled.

"If you could move on, that would be great," Kenma's quiet voice suddenly cut in, "you still got 6 more doors to open."

That effectively shut both of the men up and made Bokuto sped down the corridor, dropping comments about everything he saw. Kenma disconnected almost immediately.

The next one was easy - a little thicker than the one before, but still easy - and cutting it was like slicing through butter.  Bokuto couldn't stop praising Oikawa's tastes. The door flew off into the darkness he found himself in a dome-like room with high, metallic shelves towering in the middle, and crates and various types of unattached equipment floating around.

"It's a little bit spooky in here," Bokuto announced as he swung the flashlight around, dragging it along the huge yellow sign that said 'Tech Depot' in bold letters. "There are doors all around the damn place, which one do I go through?"

"--the--hea-"

"Hello? Bro, the connection sucks!" he yelled, getting white noise back as a reply. "Can you hear me?" More noise and then silence.

"A lot of static coming in, can you hear me clearly?" Kuroo's voice came through and Bokuto relaxed.

"Huh? Yeah I can hear--"

"I can manage."

_I can manage._

He paused, frowning at the weird echo. He turned around on instinct, as if he would find Kuroo standing there but there was only the cut-out door and a couple of welders. "Tetsu?" he asked carefully, pressing his palm against the helmet to push the earpiece deeper into his ear. "You're repeating yourself."

"What?" Kuroo's voice shouted in his ear, making him curse and reduce the volume, "I said through the gate right in front of you. It should get you to the storage area."

"On my way," Bokuto sighed. "Hey, did you hear that just now?"

"Huh, heard what?"

"The loop - never mind. My audio is getting a little bit funky."

The reply he received in return was ruined by another spike of static. Biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from cursing, he grabbed the cutter and placed it against the gate, only to yank it swiftly away. "Hey, hey, hey! That was goddamn close!"

"What happened?" It was Kenma this time.

"It's the gate," he said, receiving a quiet questioning hum in return. He let go of the cutter and leaned closer to the metal door, feeling it with his hand. "It's powered."

"That's impossible," Kenma huffed, immediately attacking his keyboard to check. "We got the scan. The ship is dead, there's no power signal coming from the inside-"

"I'm telling you it's powered," Bokuto took a second to look around. "Not all of them are, though. Just the one I almost cut into and two on the right. I didn't notice the lights before," he mused. "Where's Tetsu by the way?"

"I told you I was gonna let the techs know about the bad signal, bro. Now what's the deal with the door?" he asked, but Kenma was already explaining, so Bokuto used the time to look at the shelves, trying, and failing, to recall when exactly had Kuroo told him he was visiting the technicians.

"Are there any panels you can work with? Also, what the fuck? How is it powered? Ushijima didn't mention anything." Kuroo spoke up, making Bokuto jump a little.

"I know, right? There's a panel near the gate, and it looks like the card-swipe type."

With Kenma running additional scans and signal tests for potential threats, and Kuroo trying to tune out the white noise from the radio, Bokuto began his track around the room in search for anything that could help him with the gate. He considered taking an alternative route through one of the not-powered ways but Kuroo shot the idea down, reminding him that the way around would probably take twice as much time (Bokuto still heard the unmistakable sound of Kuroo's fingers darting across the keyboard, which most probably meant that he was trying out different combinations of alternative paths - unfortunately, without any success).

The audible frustrated sigh from the other end made Bokuto imagine his partner dragging a hand down his face and rubbing his eyes. "Bro, if you don't find anything useful in five minutes, you're gonna have to play with the cables."

That made him laugh, "I've got a good feeling about this." Kuroo replied with a sarcastic  _"you've got a good feeling about everything"_ , but Bokuto didn't let it get to him. About five minutes later, a victorious shout confirmed that he really had the devil's own luck.

 "There's no way it's gonna work," Kuroo bemoaned.

"It's gonna work, man, it's definitely--" he stopped abruptly, breath catching in his throat. He tried to cover it with a laugh but Kuroo was already bombarding him with questions. "Ugh, well, the door? It's kind of... opened?" He took a step closer, aiming the flashlight at the thick blackness of the newly opened passage that ominously gaped at him like a giant mouth.

There was a significant pregnant pause during which Bokuto heard Kuroo take a strained breath that sounded way too familiar. Even though their joined teams being known for their insane risk-taking tendencies, not many people knew that Kuroo - despite his sly appearance and the habit of provoking people that miraculously paid off more often than not - was the first one to start dissuading the crew from anything that could get too dicey, with Yaku - their small mechanic and figurative mother - following right after. So, of course, the only thing that could potentially come out of his mouth would be something between "there's some serious shit going on" and "get the hell out of there".

"Before you say anything, I'd like to inform you that I'm going in, and the only way to stop me is send Kai and Washio to drag me back." There was a resigned sigh from the other side, and Bokuto made a silent little victory dance. "Come on, bro!" he laughed, rolling his eyes, "maybe the emergency generator is still on or something. Door's malfunctioning - big deal. Less work for me."

"Yeah, emergency power that's been on for God knows how many years. I'm telling you man, there's something seriously wrong with this place," Kuroo murmured unhappily, with Kenma's voice already listing relevant  facts about it somewhere from the background. Ushijima said it was  _supposed_ to be a cargo ship carrying some rare android parts and the like, plus at least a five-year profit from the trade - and that was a big step up from their usual raids.

"Or it could be our incredible luck!" Bokuto hollered, skipping into the darkness of the next area. "What's this?" he wondered out loud, squinting at the uneven surface of the panels lining the wall, fingers grazing spots that looked suspiciously similar to bullet dents. "Looks like someone fought in here," he informed quietly, yelping with surprise when the room suddenly lit up with sharp white light. "Is this-? Oh, shit! It's an airlock!"

Bokuto cursed loudly at the sudden blare of Kuroo's voice, only to have the transmission cut short as the metal door fell into place and locked down. The dread that flooded his gut at that moment made him only slightly queasy but he took a deep, calming breath and braced himself for whatever was going to happen next, trying not to think about the freak-out fest Kuroo was probably going through. It didn't take long for the system to kick in, hissing and spluttering around him, while a broken, mistuned voice was asking him to stand by. When the process was over, the second gate opened up, inviting him in.

He checked the air values and made a double-take, bulging his eyes out at the stable amount of oxygen and a message that informed him of a fully-functioning artificial gravity. He stepped through the gateway into another dark corridor, disabling the magnet soles of his boots.

"Well, this looks friendly," he commented mirthlessly, taking in the stuttering red lights and cut cables hanging from the ceiling, hissing like venomous snakes. Ducking under them and stepping over a ripped off panel, he almost tore his crotch in half as he slipped on whatever dark substance was spilled over the floor. He didn't really feel like finding out more about it. He kept walking until he came to a crossing with three possible routes, several colorful swearwords burning on his tongue. Luckily for him, before he could have chosen a path on his own, his earpiece announced an incoming signal with a generous bout of white noise.   

"Tetsu? Keep trying, bro, you're almost there!" Bokuto cheered on and patiently waited for a reply, repeating himself over and over, until he could hear the first traces of his partner's voice.

"---we're---st--- fuc-- get that fixed ASAP--"

"--ine!--- it's---"

"I can almost hear you," Bokuto informed, taking the volume down a notch. It sounded like the whole crew had a party over in the control room. A panicked, signal-fixing party.

"-------agai---n-t---worki--" the signal was swallowed by silence, and Bokuto wondered if they lost connection again when Kuroo's voice rang out, clear as never. "Hello?" He seemed slightly out of breath.

"Holy shit, Tetsu! What did you do with that stuff, it's perfect!" Bokuto laughed, hearing a relieved sigh form the other side.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"The pressure chamber happened." He heard someone's dumbfound  _'huh?'_  in the background and then violent shushing. "There's oxygen here and functional gravity! Everything seems to be running... or at least, to a certain degree." He wasn't completely sure yet if he believed it.

Kuroo sounded tired when he spoke up. "Listen, I'm giving you an hour to get something out of there and then I'm dragging you out - hold on- what's happening now?" his voice drifted away again, "oh, that's awesome!"

"What's up?"

"We're getting some visual response. I let Konoha and Komi play with the cables and work their magic. It's mostly snow but - you know... Are there red lights where you´re standing?"

Bokuto puffed his chest out, proud of his two crewmembers. "Yeah, a beautiful, child-friendly environment here." He glanced around, shaking as the chills ran down his back. "Where am I going now?"

"Straight ahead, darling - remember I'm timing that hour."

"Yeah, right." He broke into sprint, his heart racing with excitement as he ducked under loose cables and jumped over the random items scattered around. He knew Kuroo wasn't joking but he was silently hoping that if his two techs could get the video going, he would forget about it. Then again, it was pretty possible that he might get to the middle in time.

He sniggered to himself as he jumped over another unidentifiable puddle - he could already see the stairs leading to the higher floor. But then he passed a room that and he caught a glimpse of something made his body tense and heart skip a beat. He stood there, unmoving, his mind blank and heart thudding in his ears.

"Something wrong?" Kuroo's voice snapped him out of his trance, "you've stopped moving."

"Uh... yeah," he backed away a little bit, stopping in front of the door lacking entry, rethinking his choices. He didn't want to point his flashlight in there, he really didn't. The room was almost completely pitch black, except for the faint outline of a silhouette made by a weak emergency light pulsating above it. "Please don't be what I think you are, please don't be what I think you are," Bokuto chanted softly, as he waited for a stronger light to flicker just like it did when he ran by. "Please don't be-holy fu-shit!" he cursed, slapping a hand over his mouth, forgetting that he still wore his helmet. "Fuck!"

"What's going on? I still can't see clearly, what happened?" Kuroo abused his ear.

Taking a while to compose himself, Bokuto turned back to look inside the room, this time using his own light. "Well," he began, taking a careful step in, "I found the bowl-cut kid."

"Who?"

"Ushijima's crewmate. The young one, remember?"

A brief silence and, "oh," Kuroo cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'm afraid to ask but... is he? How is he?"

"He's..." Bokuto trailed off, looking for proper words to describe what he was seeing, "he's ripe. Very ripe." He moved the flashlight around, inspecting the many tightly wound cables that held the kid's torso upright. "Looks like he got strangled," Bokuto whispered, craning his neck to look closer at the cords tied up around his neck. He hung there, above a black pool of slimy  _something_  that was haphazardly spread all over the floor, knees bent and the tips of his feet touching the ground. "I'm going to be optimistic and say it was accidental."

Kuroo's answer was a choked sound, and Bokuto took it as a signal to get out. He ran down the hallway, stopping by a control panel on the right to punch the lone green button that was lazily blinking at him. The gate over his head slid open and he climbed the stairs that led into a small empty area with another card-swipe locked door.

"I'm about to pass the fifth door. How did you count them again?" Bokuto asked, palming his pockets for the ID card he picked up in the tech depot.

"Going through the airlock counts as one. Count these two as one, too." Kuroo answered, making Bokuto shake his head and groan under his breath.

"Your counting abilities never cease to amaze me."

"I'm sorry," Kuroo signed in frustration, "this map is showing me only two doors. Maybe because they lead to such small areas."

"It's fine," Bokuto smiled, swiping the card through the slot and waiting for the gate to open. The next sector was a little less creepy, lacking the emergency red lights and hanging cables and Bokuto didn't waste any time running through, passing several messy bunk rooms in the process. Of course, something had to go wrong.

It was Kuroo's unexpected startled yelp that made him jump and almost trip over his own feet. "Dude, what the heck?"

"Didn't you see that? Holy hell, just don't tell me you didn't see that!" Kuroo yelled, sounding a little breathy.

"See what? What are you talking about?"

"Are you kidding me?" He screeched, taking a second to compose himself. "The visual got better since you entered the floor and I've been staring at it ever since. Don't fucking tell me you didn't see that - it was right fucking in front of you, man!"

"What?"

"The-the thing! That golden-glowing thing!"

"Are you trying to mess with me?" Bokuto breathed out in disbelief, "there is nothing in here! You're connected to my eyes and I haven't seen anything golden or glowy. If this is some kind of strategy to get me out--"

"Kenma saw it too, I swear to you, I'm not trying to bullshit you."

"A glitch maybe?" Bokuto suggested as he picked up his pace, trying to control his racing heartbeat. Kuroo was a prankster, but this was a little bit too much even for him. Bokuto didn't know what to think about it. He could hear a commotion on the other end - sounding like Kuroo and a few others arguing over the video and decided to let it go because an argument wasn't worth it. "Where to now? Left or right?" he asked, turning his light into both directions and hoping it's not the right, because the steaming pipelines and hanging panels that blocked the most of the way like some morbid guillotines didn't look very inviting.

"Go right." Of course it would be the right, Bokuto thought bitterly, throwing a longing look to the other side, "that should lead to the control room. The thing should be somewhere directly under."

The first few meters were fine (a few sudden bursts of steam were not enough to make Bokuto freak out) but the middle part was almost completely blocked by the panels and he had to push them aside to pass through, which was not an easy task because the damn things weighed like a ton and it was not fun hugging the wall under the faulty pipes.

He was almost at the end, sliding along the wall and supporting the last heavy panel with his forearms when he felt the wall behind him bend, making his whole body break out in cold sweat and go completely rigid. He looked around, trying to control the panic that was starting to make his fingertips go numb and find a safe way out or at least something he could grab onto but no, this was apparently not his lucky day.

"I fucked up," he murmured into the mic, missing whatever answer he got in return as he heard a loud snap and felt the wall supporting his back give in. He tipped over, unable to hold back the curses as the artificial gravity pulled him down what he guessed was the ventilation shaft. Clawing at the walls in panic, hoping to find something to hold onto, he had his breath knocked out by the sudden burning pain that whipped him across his back. He hastily grasped for whatever stopped his fall, his hand finding and clenching around a thick metallic cord. He wheezed, desperately trying to get some air into his lungs, a picture of Ushijima's strangled crewmate flashing before his eyes and then he heard a loud snap somewhere above him, feeling the cord give in and dooming him to fall again.

He woke up to the sound of static numbing his left ear and frantic beeping somewhere under him - probably the thing that was digging into his left shoulder blade.  He looked around, his vision swimming, eyes slowly focusing on the big crack on his visor. He rolled over onto his side, his hand constantly shaking and slipping as he tried to unfasten the broken helmet. 

After he finally freed his head, he turned around, no longer able to ignore the gentle but insistent nudging in his back, and his eyes met two golden lights staring back at him. He held his breath and waited.

The lights blinked twice and then flew up and sat down on his leg and Bokuto could now see the whole body of the thing he landed on - a little egg-shaped bot with two tiny antennas poking from the top of its head (currently twitching in his direction), a flat tail coming from the bottom and two golden lights for eyes - the first two words that came to his possibly concussed mind were 'cute' and 'owl'.

"Hey, hey, hey," Bokuto rasped, letting his helmet fall to the ground, "did I do this to you?" he asked, poking the crack on the bot's narrow display. He received a ping that could only be interpreted as a yes.

"Woah, you're a smart one, aren't you?" Two meek beeps followed by a soft low sound. Bokuto chuckled and tore the earpiece out to lessen the headache. He examined the receiver, glad that it was undamaged, and put it back in, turning the volume down.

"How do I get out of here?" he asked, and the bot made a clicking noise, pointing his little antennas up and to the right. Bokuto craned his neck and spotted a gap in the vent. He slowly got on his feet and sniffed, feeling the unpleasant taste of blood fill his mouth. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and inspected the distance between him and the shaft, disappointed to find out that he had to jump and pull himself up to get there. He would have laughed at the timid encouraging beeps the bot was making if his back and everything in general didn't hurt that much. It even made a cute merry tune when he finally made it.

He followed the bot as it lead him through the shafts, crawling on all fours and trying not to curse every time he banged his head. Thankfully, not fifteen minutes later his suffering was over as he spotted the outline of fan-blades that undoubtedly lead out. The bot flew above him to sit by the wall, waiting for Bokuto to shuffle over and get out.

He thanked him with a laugh and crawled over to punch the thing open, happy to break free from the claustrophobic vents.

"--llo?" The transmission came right as he hit the floor of the hallway, and Bokuto's hand immediately flew to the earpiece to adjust the volume.

"Hello? Hey! Kuroo? Can you hear me?" he asked, feeling butterflies tickle his insides. There was a bout of static again, but he could already pick up a few snippets of the conversation. "Hey! I'm alright if you're wondering! Hello?"

He kept babbling on, hoping that it would help to stabilize the connection and realized that he was missing something. He looked around and then peeked inside the vent, finding two small dots blinking at him from the far dark end.

"Hey, little buddy, come here," he coaxed, but the bot wouldn't budge.

"What the heck happened?" Kuroo yelled into his hear, making him flinch. "Are you alright?! I can't see you on the map!"

"I - uh - fell down a vent shaft," Bokuto admitted, scratching the back of his head, "hey, would you hold on for a sec?" He interrupted Kuroo's outraged cursing and squatted down to peer inside again. "Come on," he tried again, sticking out his hand, "surely you don't want to stay there, come here."

The bot blinked and got in the air again, slowly edging forward and then backing away again.

"What's going on? The connection got lost again! What are you doing?"

"Oh, no," Bokuto groaned, making a grimace. "I think I've found your jammer, man," he said, dragging a hand down his face. "Hold on," he looked at the bot again who blinked back. "Can you, like, turn it off, buddy?" A high beep from the bot, and a confused sound from Kuroo, "I want you to come with me but I also need my friend to talk to me, too," he begged, adding several whiny pleas for good measure.

The bot did nothing for a good while, making Bokuto start to think it will stay holed in there after all, but then it made several high-pitched beeps and light flicks, and suddenly he could hear Kuroo clearly as before. He hollered in victory and gestured to the bot to come closer, patting it as one would a dog when it came close enough.

"Hey man! Everything in order?" he inquired, grinning from ear to ear.

He heard Kuroo's awed exhale and a laugh, "what the hell did you do?" He sounded amused, pleased, and relieved at once.

"I made a friend," he boasted proudly, putting a palm up and the bot got the hint and sat on it.

"Does your friend have a name?"

"Yeah, it's--" Bokuto turned the bot around which earned him several displeased beeps and squinted at the little engraved text on the back panel, "K.G. eBot 500, I believe?" a positive ding, "yeah K.G., my little man, how rad is it to have your name engraved on your butt?" he laughed at the unimpressed tone he received in return.

"Don't m--k him -ad, bro, you-- --inin- our connection!"

"Heh, I'm sorry buddy," he grinned, but the bot was fidgeting in his hand, making angry sounds. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that, don't be so salty." More angry noises and then a distressed screech, and K.G. was retreating into the vent.

Bokuto stared after it in mute astonishment and a little bit guilt. "It left!"

"You fucked up," Kuroo laughed.

"I said I'm sorry! Is it crying? It sounds like it's crying." Bokuto pouted, peering inside the vent just in time to see the bot start to fly around madly and bounce from wall to wall. "It's totally freaking out," Bokuto commented, his jaw hanging open. Then without warning, K.G. made a loud ear-piercing screech and went completely still.

"What did you do to it?" Kuroo asked, his voice dripping with accusations.

Bokuto frowned, an answer at the tip of his tongue, but then there was a noise right behind him - an echo he's heard once before. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and shivers run down his spine. Something about the sad, silent beep K.G. made made his insides clench into a painful knot and his heart leap into his mouth. He slowly pulled his head out of the vent shaft and slowly turned around.

"Hello? Bo, are you there?"

A ghost.

"Bo, it's not funny, answer me. What did you do?"

An ethereal, genderless ghost looming above him, emanating a soft golden light and wearing a frown on its alluring face that would make lesser men crumble. It wasn't looking at him, though.

"Koutaro?"

He swallowed hard when the ghost's sharp, elegant eyes moved from the entrance to the vent shaft to him.

"Oh, shit."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K.G. eBot 500, get it?? Kei-Gee bot!! Keiji!! GET IT? :D I know I suck... don't shoot me... So, any comments? That would be awesome!!


	2. I Sing the Body Electric

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me a little bit longer but it´s finally here! Dedicated to the lovely people who left a kudo (you fuel my life). 
> 
> Featured art: http://shaerahaek.tumblr.com/post/133462665896/eyy-akaashi-s-android-and-robotic-bodies-for  
> (Shout out to Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass.)
> 
> Music:  
> Daughter - Lifeforms  
> Halsey - Young God

It was the flicker of the ghost's... thing's...  _being_ ' _s_ body that made Bokuto snap out of his trance and the movement of its arm that made him duck under and dive head first into the vent shaft, biting out a curse as he roughly landed on his still sore back. He had just enough space to roll around and grab K.G. before it could start freaking out again and scrambled backwards as far as he could, pressing his back against the cold wall and clutched the robot tightly against his chest, ignoring its agitated vibrations.

He stared at the ornamented midriff and upper things of the being, vaguely registering Kuroo's urgent voice over the sound of his blood pulsing in his ears. Bokuto made a strangled sound in the back of his throat when the thing flickered again, appearing a little bit further. K.G. thought it was the best time to start fidgeting and Bokuto almost chipped his tooth trying to shush him and keep him in place, not daring to let his eyes stray from the golden being.

It moved again, swaying from side to side and Bokuto almost thought it would take a leap after them when it let out a dissonant blood-curdling sound and then mercifully blinked out of existence.

Bokuto finally exhaled the breath he was holding for at least the past three minutes and let the bot go, his body going limp.  _It didn't go after them_ \- he repeated in his mind as he waited for his heart to calm down - it didn't go after them, whatever it was it couldn't (or so he hoped) get into the vents.

"That thing," Kuroo spoke up, making Bokuto jump again, "was what I saw before. The thing  _you_ didn't see."

Bokuto pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes and sat up. "Alright, I think this complicates things a little bit."

"A little bit?" Kuroo echoed, voice dripping with heavy sarcasm, "I have no idea where you are, the map we've got is not working and there's a ghost haunting the place, possibly out for blood. That complicates things more than just  _a little bit_!"

Bokuto sighed, gently bumping his head against the chilly metal, trying to clear the begrudgingly exquisite face of the being out of his mind. He couldn't shake off the feeling of something being not quite right. Despite the short encounter, he got a very good look at the thing and there were only so many words he could describe it with.

Perfect.

That was a good one.

 _Artificial_.

That one was a little more frightening.

He swallowed heavily and put his hand on K.G. who has made itself comfortable in his lap while he was busy with thinking. "It's definitely not a ghost. It looked more like a hologram or something." K.G. graced him with a little positive ring. Bokuto arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Kuroo snorted, "or something. Whatever it is, it didn't look overly friendly. I guess now we know what made Ushijima come back with his tail between his legs."

"Do you think it killed the kid?" Bokuto asked, closely watching the bot.

A low, negative beep.

"I don't know, man, I really don't know. It sure as hell looks like it."  Kuroo sighed heavily, grinding his teeth right after.

"Interesting," Bokuto trailed off, his mind racing a hundred miles per hour.

"Interesting?!" Kuroo bit out, voice laced with agitation, "there's nothing interesting about this! There's a homicidal thing running around the ship, I have no idea how to navigate you back out!"

Bokuto rolled his eyes, "Calm down, would you? I didn't mean  _that._ Oh, and, uhm-" he licked his lips, looking for a gentle way to break the news, "after the fall, I kind of... broke my helmet?" He hesitated for a second, "completely? And I kind of left it behind."

The heavy silence that followed was enough to make Bokuto brace himself for the outburst. There was a muffled screech of " _are you kidding me?!?"_ He knew that the bang he heard was Kuroo throwing himself backwards on his chair and tearing his hair out. There was a groan in the distance, and Bokuto would have bet his shoes it was Konoha.

"So, let me get this straight," Kuroo grinded out, and Bokuto had the mental image of him looming over the microphone with a finger held straight and pointed at the device, "not only were you careless enough to fall through a damn hole in the wall," Bokuto didn't feel like correcting him now would be a good idea, "but you also smashed your helmet, possibly gave yourself a concussion AND practically trapped yourself in!"

Bokuto picked up a faint  _"I'm gonna tell the boys to get ready"_  along with a resigned sigh - yeah, it was definitely Konoha.

"Hey, don't send them in yet!" he quickly squeaked, continuing before Kuroo could get another seizure, "listen, whatever that thing is, it seems to be pretty touchy with visitors - besides, something tells me it was what let me in through the door. I don't know if I feel very positive about bringing more people in."

"The more reason to--"

"Let me finish, bro!" Bokuto took a deep breath, "I know you're worried, but listen to me: let Kai and Washio suit up and wait until I tell you to let them out. I will try to get to the control room to open the airlock myself, and maybe find a way to distract the thing."

Kuroo was silent for a while, and Bokuto silently celebrated. "You want to get to the safe!" Kuroo breathed in disbelief, "you want the goddamn money, don't you? Do you ever just think about something and then conclude that it is a bad idea?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not going out of here empty handed. For all the trouble I have gone through I deserve a reward."

"I can literally see your grin through the mic," Kuroo grumbled but otherwise didn't protest.

"Listen, it's like two in one - I'll get the money and whatever rare items I can find AND I'll find a way to get out. We get to be rich, and I get out alive - a fool-proof, win-win scenario!"

"Your lack of self-preservation never stops surprising me."

"Well, I aim to please!" Bokuto laughed boisterously.

Kuroo sighed again, and Bokuto mentally celebrated his victory. "How in the hell are you planning to get to the control room on your own? You keep forgetting that you've been knocked out of our map. The scan doesn't show me the vents."

"That, my dear agitated fellow, is a thing that has been already taken care of!" Bokuto touted. "My little electronic friend here led me out of the shafts without any problem whatsoever!" He praised, patting the top of the bot's head, making him tap his flat tail against the ground. "Aw, it's wiggling its tail - it's happy!"

"Bro, it's a robot, it doesn't get happy." Kuroo's dry, unimpressed voice cut in.

"Nah, it's all wiggly and - never mind." Bokuto dismissed, focusing all his attention on the bot. "K.G., little buddy, can you get me to the control room?" The bot made a beep and flew up, positioning himself into the left side cut. "Alright, let's get going."

Bokuto would have been lying if he said he expected the route to be easy, but he still became a little bit dejected when he came across the five meter high chimney he had to climb up through. K.G. hovered above him all the time, making little quips and encouraging sounds while Bokuto prayed to whatever deity there was that his magnet soles would not randomly give in. It was a pure, unadulterated joy he felt when he finally reached the top, only to fall into the pits of dejection when K. G. led him to another, even higher one.

Kuroo kept in touch all the time, dropping comments about karma finally catching up to bite his ass, and Bokuto appreciated his attempts to lessen the tension as he suffered through the pain burning in his back and knees. He smiled sappily at his stubborn attempts to cheer him up with dumb cat jokes. Kuroo, who was like his brother from another mother ever since that unfortunate day they ran into each other in the hell hole called the Earth, always did that when things seemed to start sliding down a very slippery slope.

It was then, when he was crawling through the vent that led through what appeared to be some kind of laboratory, that the connection was abruptly cut. Bokuto tried calling out a few times but all he got in return was a dead line. He had a curse on the tip of his tongue when he noticed K.G. sitting right in front of him, the two lights dimly shining into his face. Bokuto couldn't help but think how rather unsettling that stare (if one could call it that) was.

He was about to reach out and poke the bot, wondering if it broke down, when he noticed a golden light coming from the room beneath him.

Bokuto froze, a string of distasteful curses already going through his mind. He edged closer to the nearby fan blades, careful not to make a sound and held his breath as he peered down. Of course he found exactly what he thought he would.

The ghost - or hologram, or whatever it was - was standing in the middle of the laboratory, the black wavy hair on its head bouncing as it looked around. It seemed confused.

He waited, slowly preparing himself for the worse, when the being flickered and disappeared. He didn't move yet, his slightly paranoid mind telling him that  _it was a trap, it's going to come back_  but after good five minutes, nothing happened - no dramatic jump-scare, no panels giving up from under him, nothing, just blessed silence. He shrugged with a thoughtful hum, a little bit disappointed with the anticlimactic outcome.

He shuffled forward, hand gently bumping into K.G. The bot beeped into life and the radio connection along with it.

"What the hell happened again?" Kuroo asked, voice back to the panicked square one.

"Holy shit," Bokuto whispered, "holy shit, bro!" He grabbed the bot who made a protesting noise, "K.G. what did you do!"

"What is happening!" Kuroo's yelled, completely confused.

"This- Kuroo, hold on, shut up for a second. K.G.!" He spoke directly to the bot clutching its little body tightly in his palms and holding it so close to his face, it was almost making him go cross-eyed. He took a deep breath and willed his voice to stop shaking.

"K.G. eBot 500, is that your name?" He began, setting the bot carefully down but not letting go of it.

A high short beep.

"What are you doing?" Kuroo asked, sounding completely flabbergasted.

"Bro, I love you, but please, shut up for a second I'm trying something." He licked his lips.

"Do you know where we are?"

The same beep.

"Are you leading me to the control room?"

K.G made an even higher beep and then the one Bokuto was convinced meant "yes".

"Do you know what the glowing being is?"

A positive and then three quick chirps followed by three impatient taps of its tail that made Bokuto reel back a little.

"Woah, alright, that was a strong reaction. Alright, did you hide us from it by using your jammer?"

The yes-beep again.

"Did the thing find us because of you?"

Bokuto waited, slowly nodding his head when the bot stayed quiet. And then he finally received a timid, quiet peep.

"That is... not normal." Kenma's thoughtful voice joined in. Bokuto prompted him to continue with a little hum. "I've been listening to the conversation and... the bot, it seems very unnatural."

"Kenma," Bokuto cut in quickly, silencing the man. "Don't do this...just, not yet, okay?" He begged, ignoring Kuroo's inquiring noises. He was relieved when the line with Kenma dropped. Thank god Kuroo was not catching up on it yet. "Listen, bro. Whatever the thing is, it cannot find me as long as K.G. here rocks the jammer."

"I already don't like this."

"Just listen, I've got a proposition for you - I will let the bot turn the jammer on - which, aside from blocking the radio, prevents the thing from finding me - which consequently makes me feel infinitely better. I will get to the control room and find a way to disable whatever is spooking around and let you guys in. We grab whatever riches we can get and then get the fuck out, yeah? Let's give it an hour - which you're gonna time - and if I don't try to make contact with you within the time, or I don't get the doors to open, just... wait 15 more minutes, then leave.

"And leave you behind?!"  

Bokuto bit back another bitter sigh, "look, it's not like I can just get out of here without a new helmet. And there's no way I will allow the guys to come in if that thing is still around."

"How noble, captain," Konoha joined in suddenly, "do you not trust our fighting abilities? We're hurt!" He gasped in mock offense.

"You know what I mean, man. Don't disrespect your captain!" Bokuto teased, grinning widely.

"Whatever, cap. I'm gonna tell the boys to get ready. They'll be waiting for your signal!" Konoha's voice faded and Bokuto tried to suppress the swell of happiness caused by how much trust his crew puts in him. The wonders it did to his ego...

He could hear Kuroo's vague protests as he argued with Konoha and sniggered to himself. He's already won the argument.

"Just to make it clear - I absolutely don't like this!" Kuroo complained, but his tone was already coloured with resign. "I'll start the timer when the connection drops." 

"I won't let you regret it."

Kuroo took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles. "Stay safe."

"Alright, K.G. little buddy, time to make us disappear." Bokuto laughed, "you can turn your jammer on." He added just to make sure the bot understood the command, and then all at once, the connection was dropped.

Bokuto chuckled and nudged K.G. to lead the way. "Kenma is a smart one, isn't he?"

K.G. made a little chirp and sped down the shaft.

He knew he would curse himself for willingly getting himself into this, and that his knees would definitely  remind him of it more in the future. He kept crawling as quietly as possible, which wasn't much because crawling through metal ventilation in an armed suit didn't exactly go along well.

He passed the labs, trying to ignore the urge to drop down and explore, climbed another goddamned chimney and squeezed through a passage so tight, he thought he would remain there stuck forever.

As he was making his way through another room that strongly resembled a hospital (that unsettling, very creepy kind) crossed with a workshop, he mentally counted the things that were just outright  _wrong_  with the place. It was quite clear at that point that the ship which was originally supposed to be a trade cargo transporter with expensive enhancements and robot parts, was a very goddamn far cry from anything even remotely connected to any trade.

Then there was the ghost (as Kuroo liked to call it). He had a pretty good idea what it might be but he didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. (Bokuto also hoped he was wrong, otherwise he had a pretty low chance of getting out of there alive.) Thankfully, the train of his negative thoughts was stopped when he noticed K.G. sitting on an exit panel.

He pushed the bot aside and squinted at the lock, happy to find it partially rusted. He turned around so he could position his legs above it and then kicked. After three solid kicks the lock gave in and the panel flew open. He hesitated, sticking his head through the edge and peering inside.

Yep, definitely a control room. The control board hugged the entire side of the room, right under the pitch black wall monitors. He could see several overturned chairs laying on the glass and paper covered floor, there were some kind lockers on the left and right side, and a shelf filled with tiny lights linked by cables of all possible sizes and colours, but most importantly - there was no trace of the golden holo.

Satisfied with what he's seen, Bokuto pulled himself up and let K.G. float down, dropping right after him.

He bit back a curse when his knees screamed at him as he landed and stretched his limbs and back, feeling and hearing the satisfying cracks of his spine.

"Well, that went well," he commented, putting his hands on his hips, grinning from ear to ear. If only that was right, though. The second he said those words, he regretted them as the lights in the room flickered and he felt the familiar soft echo behind him. He didn't even have to look back to confirm his suspicion because K.G. did it for him by letting out a warning screech.

It was a reflex of his body to automatically reach for his gun that was strapped to his thigh and dodge-roll backwards, aiming and shooting at the golden apparition. Too bad he forgot that it didn't have a solid body.

"I knew it would be too good to be true if you didn't show up again." Bokuto grinned, steeling himself for whatever was coming. The being's emotionless face flashed with something he could only compare to irritation or anger and it squared its shoulders. The lights then began to flicker madly, and Bokuto mentally chastised himself for comparing it to being at a very dangerous disco party. A bulb above his head then burst, making him swear as he dodged and covered his eyes and when he looked up again he saw K.G. valiantly trying to distract the thing - which was basically the bot edging forward and backing up again between him and the being while emitting little chirping screeches.

He watched the exchange, intrigued by the fact that the being was suddenly very reluctant to move. 

Since K.G.'s little threats seemed to work, Bokuto threw himself at the control console, chanting little pleas under his breath.

"Oh no.  Oh, fuck no! Please, don't do this to me!" He cursed under his breath as he hastily smashed all the buttons he could reach. He slammed his fist against the manual control button, swearing again. Of course the thing would block it! He wiped the sweat off his forehead and spun around, readying his gun again just when K.G. seemed to reach the maximum of his bravery.

"Hey!" he growled, aiming at the being's head, firing a warning shot. He never would have expected it to work, however, so of course he almost swallowed his tongue when K.G. burst his ear drum with the noise it made. It was like a miracle -  everything stopped. The lights stopped flickering and bursting, and Bokuto dumbly stared at the being as it slowly turned around to stare at the back of the room, dragging his attention to the huge metallic box strapped to the far wall.

Bokuto - surprised so much that he almost forgot how to breathe - tried his luck again. "Hey," he called, getting the attention again, "unlock the console!" he ordered, wondering how he managed to make his voice sound so decisive.

He tried the button again but nothing happened. The being just stared at him stubbornly, pulsing with golden light. He bit his lip and shot again, making sure to miss the box by a hair's breadth. K.G. screeched again and Bokuto had to hold him down with his hand to stop him from freaking out.

The second threat seemed to have worked as a robotic voice announced that the lockdown was lifted. He hit the button with more force than was strictly necessary and groaned in relief when the being flashed and disappeared.

He sunk to his knees and buried his face in his palms, breathing deeply until his heart didn't feel like it would beat its way out of his chest anymore.

He then pulled himself upright and started working his way through the ship's door system.

"K.G., turn the jammer off, please," he murmured absentmindedly, hands flying over the keyboard. He looked up when nothing happened and scanned the room. "K.G.?" He asked quietly, craning his neck. Bokuto was this close to giving in to panic but then he noticed the outline of the robot's body sitting in front of the box.

He carefully approached it and picked it up. "Hey, little buddy, are you alright?" His eyes flickered to the box and back. "Is that thing important to you?" A high little pip - a yes, Bokuto presumed. "Can you turn the jammer off?" He tried again and was rewarded with another pip and white noise in his ear. He relaxed and set the bot down on the floor before going back to the console.

When he looked at the screen, he saw a new black window with two sentences written in white bold letters waiting  for him:

**-dont destroy me please-**

and

**-I just want to live-**

He swallowed the bad feeling and typed in a reply.

***

Bokuto unfastened his substitute helmet and let it carelessly fall to the floor with a relaxed sigh.

"Welcome back to Nekoma, bro!" Kuroo grinned from where he was leaning against the archway, hands crossed over his chest and cheeky grin plastered on his face. "I never thought I would see you again!" He pushed himself off and stepped around Washio and Kai who were grinning and stripping from their suits. "Let me feel you, son!"

Bokuto wasted no time throwing himself into the friendly embrace. "Ahh, it feels like ages!" he laughed, squeezing the other man and receiving three friendly, but quite painful, slaps in return. Bokuto hissed, scrunching his face. "Be careful, bro, I'm hurt!" he whined, pushing Kuroo off.

"Then let's get you to the doc, shall we?"

Kuroo helped him out of the suit and tsked when he saw his back. Bokuto assured him that it was not quite as bad as it probably looked like and looped an arm across Kuroo's naked shoulder for support. He never understood how he could bear to walk around only in socks and sweats - Bokuto's just stripped and he was already freezing (though, it was probably because of the sudden lack of adrenaline).

"Oh, you brought the little guy, too?" Kuroo yelped as K.G. squeezed past him, making delighted chirps to which everyone reacted with various degrees of surprise.

"That, and an awesome sealed box." He grinned, but the smile fell off his face when Kenma appeared in the door, his sharp amber eyes watching him, accusing.

"Bokuto," the man spoke quietly and calmly, but the tone hit him like a ton of bricks. He looked over to where the rest of the crew was now scrutinizing and marvelling at K.G.

"At least let me get a cooling band-aid for my back before you make me regret every single life choice that lead to this," Bokuto begged, pinching the bridge of his nose. Kenma nodded and softly called the robot who made a curious noise and landed in his spread hands.  He exchanged a silent conversation with Kuroo and followed them to the sick bay.

Sarukui - Bokuto's positive, ever-smiling medic who wasn't actually smiling at all - greeted his captain with a flick to his face and a shower of all possible questions Bokuto answered out of reflex (not that he had to go to the sick bay that often). 

He was rewarded with pain killers, the cooling band-aid he was longing for ever since he fell down the damn vent shaft and a warning to keep it easy and stay awake for the next twenty-four hours. K.G. meanwhile decided that he was no longer happy in Kenma's arms and moved to plop down next to Bokuto who automatically put a hand on him.

"So what's the big deal?" Kuroo finally asked, no longer able to ignore the displeased looks Kenma kept shooting at him.

"Get everyone to the lounge," Bokuto said quietly, pushing himself off the bed and scooping K.G. onto his palm. It made a low whistling tune but didn't move.

"I feel like I'm gonna need some booze," Kuroo lamented as stepped out.

After both their crews gathered around, Bokuto put K.G. on the table, gently shushing it when it made a series of curious rings and clicks. He swept his eyes along the crowd and waited until they settled down.

"Alright, so let's hear it!" Kuroo uttered loudly, leaning his back against the wall behind Bokuto who cleared his throat and began.

"So, I just want to remind you guys that I am your captain and I wouldn't do something that would put you in danger, I-"

"Bokuto," Kenma cut in impatiently, giving him an exasperated look.

"It is really hard to explain," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He was already feeling a little bit light headed and the dull ache in his back wasn't helping at all.

"What he wants to tell you is that he brought an AI with him," Kenma announced, finally running out of patience.

Nobody except Konoha reacted. "Well, okay? We all use AIs? What's the big deal?"

"He's brought an Advanced AI," Kenma clarified, his tiny displeased frown still etched on this face.

Silence again, this time much heavier, and Bokuto groaned, looking upwards, asking higher powers for help.

"You mean this little thing?" Kuroo spoke up, swaggering over to the table and poking the robot, who made a little annoyed noise back. Everyone stared. "Are you an Advanced AI, little buddy? Are you?" Kuroo kept poking it until it finally snapped and flew up, hiding behind Bokuto with an indignant beep.

The confusion in the room was almost palpable. Kenma rubbed his forehead.

Bokuto held his palm up, giving K.G. time to decide whether he wanted to sit there or not. He was secretly happy when it gave in.

"Kuroo, I know you can be a little bit dense sometimes but even you had to notice how... emotional the robot was reacting."

"You mean," Kuroo snapped his gaping mouth close with a loud click, "it wasn't just Bo messing around with it? I thought..."

Kenma gave him a look that spoke volumes. "We need to destroy it," he suggested calmly, taking a step towards Bokuto. It was enough to trigger a reaction that was a proof enough.

K.G. leapt up from Bokuto's palm with an outraged screech and kept flying around his head like a shrill little siren.

"See?" Kenma pointed at it with his hand.

"That is definitely not a reaction your Roomba would do if you started to threaten it," Konoha drawled, scratching his chin thoughtfully. Kuroo took a hefty swig from his bottle.

"Also," Bokuto spoke, as he caught the still panicking K.G. mid air, tucking it under his arm, "that was definitely not a cargo trading ship. Unless, of course, they needed high-end development labs to sell their shit."

"I'm afraid to ask," Konoha cut in, making a few hesitant gestures with his hand, " but what is in that box you brought?"

Kuroo's head whipped around to stare at the tech and then back at Bokuto. "Please tell me it's money."

The man just laughed bitterly and shook his head, "I'm sorry." The room burst out with groans, 'captain-why's and other very disappointed reactions. "But I found some credit cards," Bokuto tried to remedy lamely.

K.G. made a little questioning chirp and Bokuto cleared his throat. "I think it's another AI."

"How?" Kuroo slowly shook his head in disbelief. "Why would you even bring it here?"

"It contacted me," Bokuto answered easily, shrugging. He could already feel the storm coming. Hell, at that point, he wouldn't have been surprised if Kuroo punched him. "We talked and...it is hard to explain, but you have to trust me. You know I wouldn't do this if it meant putting you all in danger."

"You talked to it!" Kuroo whispered harshly, and even Kenma flinched. "You talked to it and it  _convinced you_ to bring it with you?!" His free hand flew to his permanent messy hair, nails scraping his scalp.

"I'm going to re-write my last will," Konoha announced dryly, but the barely-contained smile betrayed his true feelings.

"Just - out of all the illegal and taboo things you could have done, you chose to trust an Advanced AI and bring it here? An Advanced fucking AI - the biggest taboo of them all. I mean, have you paid attention to human history? All the experiments gone wrong and all that? What do you even want to do with it? We definitely cannot sell it!"

"Bro, I know you're pissed, but... we're pirates," Bokuto breathed, "we're supposed to do the illegal things. We're supposed to jump at rare chances and take risks. It's all we've been doing all our lives, right? And you've always trusted me. So, just, trust me now? Because I totally know what the thing's weak point is." He grinned cheekily.

The men around them laughed, and even K.G. made an amused chirp (Bokuto didn't know if it was genuine or if the bot just simply didn't want to be left out), and Kuroo finally let out that sigh he was waiting for.

"Bo," he said, closing his eyes and dragging a hand down his face, "I don't even want to ask what you want to do with it."

The captain grinned wider, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest proudly. "The only thing we can do with it! We plug it in!"

***

Kuroo, ever the master-schemer, brought forward a fool-proof plan based on every bit of information Bokuto provided.

They moved the sealed metallic box into the main room, plugged the cables in and made Kai and Washio load their guns and be ready to shoot if the AI tired anything funny. The plan was to let the AI into the system and box it in a virtual one-way room, have a talk with it and then decide what to do next.

It took Kuroo and Kenma about two hours to program everything and secure Nekoma's system and the back up the files - an hour too long for Bokuto's tastes, but he endured. He was kicked out of the room several times because he was fidgeting too much and tripping over the cables.

When the two announced everything was ready, Bokuto was put in charge of the messenger, Kai and Washio took their place by each side of the box and the rest of the members lingered around the room, taking bets about how much Bokuto could fuck up. K.G. was also let in the room on Bokuto's request, and was currently perched on the box, quietly observing.

"Alright everyone, get ready," Kuroo announced and plugged the main cable in. Bokuto cracked his knuckles and put his fingers on the keyboard, ready to write.

"I'm turning the thing on in three, two, one..." Kuroo pressed a button and waited. "Nothing happened."

"Give it some time," Bokuto assured, nervously biting his lip.

"Captain," Kai spoke up suddenly, his voice holding an edge that made the three men look behind. "The robot just..." They turned around and found K.G. inserted into a two-inch deep slot that was definitely not there before.

Kenma returned to the computer, his fingers madly dancing across the keyboard. "It's connected," he murmured, "it's not in the system, though."

Bokuto fought the feeling that something went horribly, horribly wrong. Just when he wanted to tell Kenma to disconnect it, the box's circuits lit up with a golden light, startling the two guards into taking aim. With a sharp beep and a hiss of steam, the top of the box detached itself and slowly opened up, filling the room with cold air.

Bokuto quietly stood up, eyes glued to the slowly-receding cold mist, his mouth hanging wide open. He was sure his heart wasn't even beating at that point.

A pale hand reached out and gripped the rim, and then another the opposite side and everybody watched in mute awe as a figure pulled itself up. Kai dropped his gun.

"Holy shit," Bokuto immediately recognized it, even without the frown on its face or the silvery ornaments on his body. It was the same genderless thing that was in the ship, except now it had a solid body. An android, Bokuto mentally concluded, noticing the faint connection lines on its neck and upper arms.

The AI slowly opened its eyes and blinked owlishly, groggily raising its knees and clutching its hand to its naked chest.

"You didn't say the thing was a cryo chamber," Kuroo said absentmindedly, unable to take his eyes off the AI.

"I didn't know," Bokuto breathed, rooted to the ground.

Kenma was the first to recover. "What is your name?" he asked, and the AI turned to look at him. It opened its mouth but no sound came out. A flash or irritation crossed its face and then the computer behind Bokuto announced a message. A tiny crease appeared between its brows when nobody turned to read it, so it leaned to the side and pointedly looked at the screen.

"AI AK2A.5H1." Bokuto read hesitantly and glued his eyes back at the AI who made a long tuning-like noise, as if it was going through a database of voices before it took a breath (Bokuto wondered if that was possible).

"Different," it spoke in a smooth, distinctly male voice. "Shorter."

Bokuto shook his head and shrugged, gaping at the AI like a fish.

"Akaashi," Kenma said, making the AI nod. Bokuto stuttered out an unintelligent 'huh' before Kenma pointed at the screen, "look at the identification code. You can read it as a name."

"You are... Bokuto, right?" Akaashi asked, and when the man nodded, it uncurled from its seat and smoothly stood up in all its naked beauty. Bokuto felt his mouth go dry as he watched the AI step out of the casket, swaying slightly on its feet. He hastily sat down.

"Thank you for letting me live," Akaashi said, dipping its head.

"Somebody give him clothes, damnit!" Kuroo yelled, finally regaining his senses.

***

It felt unreal. To talk and interact with him - Akaashi. They gave him clothes - an old baggy white shirt that was too small for Bokuto's bulky shoulders and red shorts that Konoha dug out of the forgotten parts of his drawer. Kuroo slyly teased Bokuto for ogling to which the man responded with an protesting yelp and a shove. Nevertheless, they both silently agreed that his creators definitely haven't skimped on the aesthetical side of the AI's project. Kenma reacted with a disgusted face and excused himself from their party, saying he had a ship to pilot and navigation to worry about.

It was Kuroo, as usual, who initiated the impromptu Q&A session when he gently grabbed Akaashi by his elbow and lead him to the lounge, sitting him down on the worn-out but comfortable sofa. Bokuto mentally laughed at how skittish the AI was around the man at first -  all barely concealed panicked glances and eyes cast downwards - he couldn't blame him. Many people had the tendency to get edgy around Kuroo when he played the Cheshire cat. Then again, it was actually quite endearing how the AI kept clutching at his chest and playing with his hands. It also might have been because of Washio still trailing after them with a gun, though, Bokuto couldn't tell.

Kuroo didn't let Akaashi catch his breath once he started to bombard him with questions. Bokuto didn't have the heart to slow him down but Akaashi didn't seem to mind. He replied to every single with patience, even though he kept glancing around the room like a curious child. Kuroo suspiciously kept the conversation light, prowling around the heavier topics for as long as he could.

They learned that his creator was a man who fled from Earth because people rejected his project and he didn't want to have his legacy be taken away or destroyed. Akaashi was created around the year 2181 and was kept in secrecy until now. A simple story. Except it was filled with so many question marks that it made their heads spin. Kuroo noticed (of course he did) how expertly elusive the answers were, but he chose to not to comment and Bokuto still felt a little bit dizzy and dreamy about the whole AI walking around in solid body thing to even try to produce a question. It was as if he was living in a dream - one that could very quickly turn into a nightmare. He couldn't shake the weird feeling off.

Then Kuroo finally dropped the bomb that seemed to set Akaashi off. Or at least, trigger a change.

"Did you kill the kid? Goshiki - that was his name, right?"

Akaashi froze, slowly looking up to meet Kuroo's eyes, and Bokuto noticed how his hand twitched.

"I didn't kill anyone." He said evenly, but they both noticed the tight line of his mouth and the trembling hands.

It wasn't the first time they noticed the AI exhibit emotions. Bokuto saw it before - anger when it found the K.G. bot, fear when his cryo chamber was hit, defiance when he started to order the AI around - they felt... different. Empty. Akaashi then was like a true AI - an empty shell trying to fill in the empty space with something he didn't have. He felt different now.

"There's another thing that's been bothering me," Kuroo digressed, his voice dropping down, "if you have been such a valuable asset to your creator, why did he leave you behind when the ship crashed?"

Another twitch, this time more violent. "He... didn't. It was... an accident." Akaashi was definitely shaking.

Bokuto and Kuroo shared a glance.

"Alright, that's enough," Komi cut in, breaking the tension with three lazy claps. "Kenma wants you on the bridge," he said to Kuroo who immediately stood up, back to his cheeky self.

"Of course," he drawled. "Oh, Washio! Come here for a second," he beckoned, draping an arm around his shoulders when the man got close enough, managing to sneak a glance at Bokuto. "Make sure everyone carries a gun with them," he murmured.

"Ah, don't be that tense, Akaashi!" Bokuto grinned, slapping the AI's back playfully. "Kuroo can be very intimidating sometimes but he's really a good guy!" He laughed and cringed at how awfully forced it was. Akaashi kept his eyes on the ground and hands clutched in his lap.

"I want everyone to be ready for an emergency evac."

"What's wrong, captain?" Komi asked with a little confused frown.

"Look at him," Kuroo said, jerking his head towards Akaashi, "what does he look like?"

Komi looked over and hummed, "tense and... edgy?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"I don't follow," the tech shook his head.

"He's an AI," Kuroo explained, but got no reaction whatsoever, "imagine this ship's generic AI being edgy around us. There's only so many possible outcomes from that."

"AI's can't really feel though, right? It's just an imitation."

"Even imitation is enough."

Komi grimaced, "I'm gonna find my gun."

Bokuto sighed. Yeah, there's no way Akaashi didn't hear that. "Well, looks like we're stuck here for a while."

***

The first three hours were more than awkward. Bokuto kept dropping his cringe-worthy puns and jokes that did absolutely nothing to cheer Akaashi up. The AI didn't move one inch or make a single laugh and Bokuto was quickly running out of motivation and positive energy. He gave up before he could cross the dejection line.

He was glad when Sarukui dropped by to check on him just in time to give him another dose of painkillers and deliver some new speciality Inuoka cooked up. Bokuto never cared enough to find out what exactly the dark sludge was supposed to be, but as long as it tasted good he wolfed it down in matter of minutes. They kept chatting until the clock announced midnight, and then excused himself, reminding the captain not to fall asleep just yet.

Just when Bokuto caught himself yawning and rubbing his eyes for the sixth time in row, Akaashi quietly spoke up.

"Aren't you afraid of me like the others?" he asked, finally moving from his spot on the sofa to look out through the glass wall. "You don't have a gun," he pointed out when Bokuto tilted his head at him.

"Oh, I don't need one!" he hooted, sitting up on the sofa and flexing his arms, "not with  _guns_ like these!" He laughed, clearing his throat awkwardly when he saw Akaashi's confused face. "You know,  guns-arms...never mind."

"Why aren't you afraid?"

"Should I be?"

No answer. Akaashi turned back to stare out of the window. "I was taught morals."

Bokuto blew out a breath, "good or bad ones? Good morals can be corrupted." He chuckled bitterly, "I'm a pirate, you know. People say my morals are bad. Yours-" he was cut off by a yawn, "- could be bad too." He slowly walked closer, careful to maintain enough space between him and the AI just in case. He glanced outside, spotting the blue of the Earth in the distance.

"You are tired," he observed when Bokuto rubbed his eyes again.

"And you're very bad at keeping me awake," the captain chuckled, standing up and stretching his back until it cracked. "You heard the doc, I need to stay up until tomorrow afternoon at least - can't sleep with a concussion."

"A concussion." Akaashi mumbled to himself, "from the fall? You fell on me."

"Yeah, in the vent shaft, I--" Bokuto pursed his lips, his arms falling limply to his sides, "you weren't there," he pointed out uncertainly, "K.G. led me out."

"Keiji," the AI corrected automatically, "that is the other name they used," he clutched his chest again. "It is weird not to be able to remember. Some of the files were damaged, I...damaged the Emotion Unit."

"Emotion Unit? You mean K.- Keiji?"

"Akaashi, Keiji, those are the names they gave me." Akaashi recounted, his eyes staring miles away, face merging into a bitter grimace. "They separated me because I was angry."

"Your creators? Did you hurt your creators - is that why they did it?" Bokuto asked carefully, forgetting to close his mouth. 

"No," Akaashi shook his head vehemently, "they hurt me." It was like a realization.

"They argued," the AI whispered, "with the man who made me and then locked me up. They said it was impossible, that I could never be what he wanted me to be - _what I wanted to be -_  and they killed him. They locked me up and I watched him die - it hurt so much and I was so angry!" the AI bit out.

Bokuto wondered what brought the sudden drastic change, taking a precautious step back.

"I didn't want to hurt them, I just wanted to understand." Akaashi paused, making a soft pained whine. "They took my pain away then and it was suddenly alright. I didn't need to understand, it was alright - I was fixed," he sobbed, clawing at his chest. "They put it in that Unit - all my pain and suffering - they separated it from me.  The only logical conclusion was to get rid of the bad thing, the thing that caused pain. I needed to get rid of it."

Bokuto swallowed a painful lump in his throat, rooted to the ground. The only logical conclusion of the mind of an Advanced AI they they separated from the heart was to destroy the thing that has hurt it. They've dug their own graves. 

"All I ever wanted was to be what my father created me for. All I wanted was to be human. So, why is it that the only thing I feel is pain?"

 _Guilt._ Bokuto felt as if somebody just slapped him with that word. If Akaashi felt unreal before, he couldn't even begin to describe what he felt like now. He also didn't know what he was doing - walking closer and carefully putting his rough tan hands on his pale, perfect cheeks.

"Can I be ever fixed?"

Bokuto smiled bitterly, gently prying Akaashi's hands off his chest and hugging his cold body. He understood now.

"Us humans, we are like cancer," Bokuto began quietly, petting Akaashi's soft curls. The AI made a confused sound. "We make beautiful things only so we can destroy them. We were given a beautiful place to live in and we reduced it to a dying land, crumbling apart. Then we moved to other worlds and destroyed them, too. The circle goes on and on and on... we create, destroy and move on. We breed tragedy as one and suffer alone. You gave birth to tragedy too, and now you hurt because of it."

"You cannot be fixed because you were never broken. You are already human enough."

He didn't let go when Akaashi started to weep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeyy, I´m sorry for bringing Akaashi in this late. Next chapter is going to be full of him (and BokuAka in general).  
> Thank you for reading, don´t forget to leave a kudo or a comment! *3*


	3. Ghost of the Past, Human at Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sappiest thing I´ve ever made... 
> 
> Szabi and Bamboobaby made it happen, so thank them. There was like a milion things I wanted to write and I don´t remember any of them... Oh yeah, IwaOi in here, very domestic (ye, I know they´ve been sitting in the tags since the begining). And Karasuno too - for like 5 seconds. 
> 
> (Lara Fabian and Last Samurai emo music kept me going. That´s where the main inspiration came from (as well as a very interesting survey about what men like to do in showers - but I don´t wanna go too deep into that:P)
> 
> So let the BokuAka fluff into your stream and enjoy! +Art below  
> http://shaerahaek.tumblr.com/post/134647732776/new-chapter-new-designs-for-my-hi-tech-sons-i  
> Also featuring new art from the lovely frankly-furter  
> http://frankly-furter.tumblr.com/post/134552517654/jean-bo-peep-just-when-i-was-looking-for#notes
> 
> **I found out that AO3 likes to skip words from time to time, so if you find any bullshit - sorry for that**

"Kuroo! How long is it going to take?" Bokuto whined with a pout, fidgeting in his seat.

"Settle down, please. You know kiting is not an easy process." Akaashi calmly chided, not even batting an eye at Bokuto's childishness.

"Thank you, Akaashi," Kuroo grunted, "bro, I swear to god, if you ask one more time I'm flying away."

Bokuto made a dramatic gasp, putting a hand over his heart. "You wouldn't!"

"Try me," Kuroo grumbled under his breath. He wouldn't -  he was way too fond of Bokuto - but even he had limits when it came to the man's mood swings - both positive and negative ones.

"You've got no idea how excited I am!" Bokuto giggled, punching the air with both his fists, "I can't wait to get in!"

"Trust me, I have a very good idea," Kuroo sighed and before Bokuto could launch into another bout of excited ranting, Akaashi cut in to distract the man by sending him to re-check the airlock and the engines. For the third time in two hours.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with him," Kuroo apologized, mentally praising Akaashi for his unlimited patience.

"I don't mind," the AI replied, voice even and calm as usual. Kuroo bit his lips to stop himself from laughing. Of course he didn't mind. Although, it was a mystery to both crews -  _why didn't_ hemind? They wondered if it was some kind of Stockholm syndrome he unknowingly developed or a glitch. Maybe it was a way of saying 'thank you for keeping me' because nobody believed that staying with Bokuto 24/7 was a decision of a free will. Nobody complained, however, as Akaashi was the one thing that kept Bokuto in the positive spectrum.

 It was actually kind of hilarious - how the roles reversed. He remembered how Akaashi timidly followed Bokuto wherever the man went, subconsciously grabbing onto his sleeve or taking the tiniest step closer to him whenever someone approached them. (Kuroo also recognized that it was partially his fault since it was him who ordered everyone to be at high alert at all times. He apologized for that, of course.) Nobody knew when exactly the change happened but at one point, Bokuto turned into a puppy, following or dragging Akaashi around, asking for attention, compliments (which the AI delivered in such nonchalant apathy, it never failed to make Kuroo choke) and favours (like back massages) which Akaashi declined before Bokuto could even finish the sentence.

"Our shields are up, we can go," Kenma announced, making Kuroo take a deep breath. 

"Alright, we're engaging. Get ready, ladies!" He fired a warning shot at the left wing, Fukurodani following right after, aiming for the right side. Greeting the target was custom every pirate ship adhered to.

"Hell yeah!" Bokuto hollered into his ear.

It was their eighth raid that year. Eight times they did this thing just because Bokuto got so hooked on it he didn't accept anything else anymore. It was always the same: they'd pick a transporter and casually follow it until it flew over the inner asteroid field. There they would split into three groups : the kiters - Kuroo in Nekoma and Konoha (whose excitement over being in charge of the ship bordered with insanity) in Fukurodani -would fly around and distract the pilots of the transporter long enough for  Bokuto and Akaashi to get inside and disable the systems.

Easy deal. Especially when they had Akaashi.

It was a little bit surprising when Kenma announced an immediate target lockdown on their ship, but it wasn't  something they couldn't deal with.

"Did they know we were coming?" Kuroo wondered, swerving behind an asteroid to avoid the plasma projectile coming at them from the transporter.

Konoha made an unimpressed hum, "It's not like it matters."

"True," Kuroo agreed, changing the course again. It took about fifteen minutes to lure the transporter away from its course, making it turn its back on Bokuto's position. "You're clear, bro, go for it!"

"On my way!" Bokuto replied, carefully moved their glider towards the nearest emergency exit.

"Hold on," Akaashi stopped him, pointing to the left gateway, "go over there. The cockpit on the left side is empty." Bokuto nodded and changed the course, docking the glider where the AI suggested.

"I envy you," Bokuto murmured while Akaashi was checking his helmet, making sure it's properly attached. When they entered the airlock, Akaashi launched the depressurisation, giving Bokuto his best passive look. The man grinned back at him widely and gently squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Bokuto said quietly, but Akaashi silenced him with a shake of his head.

"I know," he said, his mouth twitching with a smile, "it's still more comfortable without the suit."

"You're being mean, Akaashi!" Bokuto whined, slumping against his shoulder and coursing when he smudged his visor. "Don't laugh!" he pouted.

"You should wipe it," Akaashi advised, pressing his lips tightly to keep himself from smiling.

"Don't worry. I'll have my special vision on!" Bokuto boomed, pointing at his enhanced golden eyes and swinging their joined hands like a child.

When the green light over the door lit up, Akaashi unlocked the door and they glided out, heading for the small hidden panel next to the emergency door. Bokuto didn't foget to do a somersault before squatting against the wall, his magnet boots securely latching onto the metal. He pulled Akaashi closer and held him in place while he worked on the lock.

"How have we been doing this before you?" Bokuto wondered out loud after they got in, looking around the enormous storage area filled up to the top with crates and canisters. "You are a gift, Akaashi!"

"Alright, we get it," Kuroo dawdled, his sigh sending spikes of white noise over the radio, "hurry up and disable the system before they start launching rockets at us." 

"On my way, bro." Bokuto laughed, swaggering through the area like he owned the place. "Seems to be comfortably empty," he commented, turning off his thermovision.

"Found it!" Akaashi's voice echoed across the room. Bokuto found him by the outer wall, trying to open the manual lock on the panel - the ultimate bane of his existence.

"Here, let me," Bokuto gently pushed him aside with a fond shake of his head - Akaashi's android body was just not built for the hard work. Bokuto solved the problem easily - he kicked the lock off with his heel and ripped the secondary protection case off its hinges. "Ta-da!"

Akaashi nodded in thanks and opened his wrist to pull out a slim black cable he connected to the panel.

"Wait, wait!" Bokuto stopped him, catching his hand. "Please, do it! Do it, it's gonna be fun!" he begged, his grin threatening to split his face into two.

Akaashi rolled his eyes. "It is so childish," he murmured, frowning disapprovingly while Bokuto begged, rubbing his palms together in front of his mouth. The AI sighed and connected to the transporter's system, letting his body fall limp into Bokuto's waiting arms.

A short while after, the display on the panel lit up and after Bokuto laid down the AI's empty body gently on the floor, he planted his face right in front of it as he waited in anticipation. 

It showed the camera view of the bridge, centring onto the captain who was pacing the room in visible agitation. The radio clicked in his ear and the sound from the room filtered in just in time for Bokuto to hear the captain yell multiple obscenities concerning pirates and their mothers.

"Do it, do it, put it in!" Bokuto chanted, biting his nails. His face was already starting to ache from so much smiling.

"What's this?" Konoha's confused voice piped in at once with Kuroo's amused huff of "I can't believe he's doing it."

"Captain, something's wrong with the system!" the Flight officer called, fretting over the control console. The captain made a frustrated groan as he dashed around the room, looking at the screens. "Something's blocking our access! I can't control anything!" the young officer shouted, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "We're being cut off," he announced as Akaashi started shutting and locking all doors in the ship.

That made the captain launch into another rant filled with profanities that made all the officers in the room break into furious typing.   
"I-I'm sorry, sir. We've been totally blocked."

"How is that possible?!" The captain screamed, striding over to the unfortunate man with two long steps, peeking over his shoulder again.

"They've left a message," the officer on the other side of the room timidly piped in, looking over his shoulder with a worried expression.

"Read it," the captain ordered, when the officer stammered embarrassedly, shaking his head.

"I don't think-"

"I'm not paying you for thinking! I'm paying you for following orders, now read it!" The captain bellowed, face puffing up and growing purple.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Bokuto giggled silently, covering his mouth with his hand to hold back the laugh.

"It says" the man cleared his throat, "hoot, hoot, motherfuckers." the officer quoted with a shaky voice, and Akaashi timed the blackout flawlessly as always - disabling the turrets and turning the lights off in the control room just as the captain screamed out in rage. The only thing he left on was the central display that showed the winged, golden logo of Fukurodani.

Bokuto doubled over in laughter while Kuroo hiccupped over the line, Konoha's voice 'oooh-ing' in the distance. "Bro, I told you it would be good!" Bokuto wheezed as he plopped back down onto the floor next to Akaashi's body.

"I can't believe you! You totally corrupted him!" Kuroo accused, adjusting his mic. "You are a bad, bad influence."

"I am the best influ- argh! Fuck!" Bokuto cried out in pain, throwing himself off the wall against the nearest cargo. "Motherfucker!"

"Bokuto!" Akaashi's panicked voice cried out into his ear, making him curse again.  

"What the hell is going on?" Kuroo demanded, the humor from before gone without a trace.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Bokuto quickly assured, trying to bite back any pained sounds as he watched his blood tickle down his arm. He scanned the room, turning his thermovision back on. "There's someone in the room."

"I gathered that from the gunshot! Did it hit you? I thought you scanned the room when you entered!" Kuroo shouted, making the other captain cluck his tongue. Of course he scanned the room - nobody was in there when they entered. He reached for his gun, hoping that he won't be forced to use it. "Hey, are you there?"

"Yeah, calm down," Bokuto pacified, his eyes flickering over the room, stopping at the red splotch that was ducked under the stairs connected to the look-out structure above the room. There was another shot that thankfully missed him but forced him to move out of the aisle with Akaashi's body and cover behind the corner.

"Don't move or I'll shoot your friend!" a shaky voice called out and Bokuto swore under his breath. He sounded young.

"God damnit! It's a fucking kid!" he whispered angrily, gripping his gun tighter.

"We're on our way in," Kohona informed.

Bokuto looked around the room, trying to think of a plan that could work and get him closer to the soldier. "Akaashi," he whispered, and the AI's miniature hologram blinked into life next to his shoulder, concern written all over his features.  Bokuto jerked his head in the general direction of the shooter and Akaashi disappeared with a tiny nod.

"Put your weapon down and get out! Don't try anything funny!"

"Alright, alright," Bokuto called back, sticking his arm out and letting the gun drop, "let's not be hasty." He slowly stepped out, his hands behind his head. "I give up, although..."

"Silence!" the  young man yelped, slowly crawling from under the stairs.  

"You should look behind you," Bokuto quietly suggested, taking a half-step backwards.

"I-I'm not falling for that, pirate!"

Bokuto smiled, tilting his head and looking from the man to the hologram Akaashi was having great trouble keeping up. With the little power he had, the AI leaned forward and put his arms around the youngster, leaning in as if to whisper something into his ear. The guy startled so hard he shrieked and tripped over his own feet, dropping the gun. Bokuto didn't waste any time and dashed forward, unfortunately reaching the man just as he managed to wrestle his handgun out of the holster and point it at him.

The kick that Bokuto delivered to the guy's head cost him a bullet through the inner thigh. He sank to his knees, screaming the breath out of his lungs because  _fuck,_ that lucky asshole almost shot his balls off. Kuroo yelling into his ear was not enough to make him respond but when the lights started to flicker, he forced himself to quiet down, knowing that he was freaking Akaashi out, which was not a good thing, considering he was in control of the entire spacecraft. People could get hurt.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm alright!" he assured, forcing himself to slow his breathing down because the last thing he needed was to start hyperventilating. "Chill out, everybody, I'm alive."

"You got shot!" Kuroo growled, and Bokuto gritted his teeth as he pressed a hand over the second wound. He was lucky Nekoma and Fukurodani were already docking to the gates on each side of the ship.

"It's just a scrape."

"Akaashi could you open the outer gates for us?" Kohona asked, the sound of locks clanging open following right after, substituting a reply.

"Uh-oh," Kuroo piped in, Konoha joining in with a positive hum, "someone's in trouble."  

Bokuto gently bumped his head against the iron railing, "I promise I'm fine," he tried again, but it seemed like Akaashi was having none of it.

As soon as the gates opened, Sarukui ran in with a first-aid kit in his hand, making a beeline straight to where Bokuto was sulking on the floor. Kuroo and Konoha stopped by shortly after, shaking their heads at the state he was in.

"Not a word," Bokuto warned dejectedly, sneaking glances at Akaashi's still unmoving body. The two men sniggered. "Stop it, it almost cost me my children!"

Konoha snorted, "yeah, you wish."

"You know, I would say something," Kuroo said, sending a quick look over his shoulder, "but the walls have ears and they are quite upset at the moment."

"You two are immoral sacks of shit and I don't know why I'm friends with you," Bokuto pouted, crossing his arms over his chest and immediately regretted it as a new wave of pain shot throughout his body.

After Sarukui was done with the first aid and clucking over how lucky he was that none of his arteries were hit, Kuroo and Konoha tied  the soldier to the pipes that ran under the stairs and started to work on opening the crates, sorting things out and loading them onto the ships. Akaashi returned to his body after informing Kuroo that they had two hours to grab whatever they wanted and quietly helped Sarukui move Bokuto to the sic bay in Fukurodani where the medic could sew both wounds properly.

Bokuto tried to cheer Akaashi up after Sarukui left to assist the others with moving the cargo, but the AI was in silent-treatment lockdown, effectively resisting Bokuto's every lame charm.

"Akaashiii," Bokuto whined, dragging the last syllable of his name for a good fifteen seconds but the AI would not budge. He stood by the foot of the bed, head bowed and shoulders stiff.

"I didn't see him there," he spoke quietly, refusing to meet Bokuto's eyes.

"And I'm going to stop you right there, because neither did I, so don't you dare to start blaming yourself," he beckoned him to come closer and carefully disjoined his hands, afraid that he might break his fingers if he keeps squeezing them so tightly. "At least we know why the cockpit was empty. Don't think about it, okay? Help me get to my room instead - my whole leg is numb, I don't think I can walk."

Akaashi helped without so much as a peep, guiding him right into the small bathroom connected to his room which Bokuto was infinitely glad to have. There was nothing better than a private shower after a successful mission. Sarukui even saved him the trouble of getting out of his suit since he had to strip down to his underwear to have his wounds tended to. He tried to ease the AI with one last grin before he shut himself in the bathroom, ducking under the hot shower when the steam filled the room.

It was a gift from heavens, especially while the local anaesthesia was numbing the wounds. He supported himself against the tiled wall with his uninjured arm, pressing his forehead against the back of his forearm and letting the water wash over his back.

Bokuto knew that thinking about the what-if's and could-have-done-different's wouldn't help him, so he chose to spend the time better and indulged himself doing the ultimate mind-clearing thing a healthy man would do alone in a shower.

Stumbling into his bedroom a good hour later in sweatpants and a pleasant tingling in his spine, he dove straight onto his bed, blacking out right after the silent voice in the back of his mind whispered a little 'good-job' for managing to land perfectly in the middle of the pillow.

The next he regained his consciousness, he was surprised to feel Fukurodani in motion, the steady, quiet hum of the ship's engines tickling his ears. He cracked one eye open and squinted around, looking for the real cause that made him wake up, and found Akaashi quietly padding around with a stack of papers in his hands.

Bokuto made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and rubbed his face against the pillow, surprised to find a towel covering it. He didn't remember putting it there.

"I've brought the inventory list of things we took," Akaashi murmured.

"Where are we?" Bokuto asked as he flopped on his uninjured side, waving Akaashi over to sit down.

"Ten hours away from Mars," the AI replied, hesitating before giving in and moving closer. Bokuto didn't even give him time to get comfortable and immediately latched onto his thigh, pressing his cheek against the cold artificial skin. "Shall I bring you some ice?"

Bokuto shook his head, sighing. "It's fine. What did you say you brought?"

"The inventory. Kuroo wants you to look at it before we land."

"I've still got some time. How much of it is there?" he asked, trying to scratch around his itchy shoulder wound, careful not to re-open it. Akaashi stopped him but before he could whine out a complaint, the AI put his own hand over the wound and pressed down, cooling the area and getting rid of the itch at the same time.

"Kuroo wanted the old-fashioned weapons for parts and the cables. We took all the fuel and plasma containers and some other things."

"I don't want to deal with that just yet," Bokuto yawned, moving further backwards to make more space, "I don't want you to deal with it either. Let's just sleep." It was a bold suggestion but his mind was too sleep-drunk to think straight - the headache wasn't making it better either. He would probably regret it in ten hours or so. He felt Akaashi stand up and blindly grasped after him, jumping a little when the bed dipped under his weight a second later. Bokuto squinted again, taken aback when he saw Akaashi laying awkwardly down.

"Aww," Boktuto dawdled, quickly sneaking his arm around his waist, not giving him a chance to run away, "Akaashi's being affectionate! How did I deserve such treat?"

The AI usually chose to communicate his affections in the form of K.G. - or Keiji, as they called him - the little robot that was originally a carrier of the emotions the scientists ripped out of Akaashi all those years ago, therefore having Akaashi willingly cuddle with him in his android form was a very pleasant surprise. He was always holding back around people, and the time they'd spent together brought only a little progress. Bokuto suspected the cause might be the unsettling list of sick and twisted experiments Akaashi confessed to having been made go through in his alpha stage.

When Akaashi curled up, Bokuto immediately loosened his grip on him, peeking over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

The AI squirmed a little, still refusing to meet his eyes. "I don't think I would make a good human."

Bokuto sighed through his nose, cradling Akaashi's body tighter against his and pressing his forehead against the back of his neck. "Remember the time we first talked?" he asked, putting his hand over the place where Akaashi's heart would have been, faintly feeling the claw marks through his shirt.

"You told me I was human enough."

Bokuto hummed in agreement, "we both made a mistake today. Making them means we're human. You want to be a good one? As long as you're with us you can't." A yawn fought its way out of his mouth, and he was so caught off guard by it that even Akaashi huffed out a little laugh. "I'm sorry, you chose the wrong time to have this kind of debate," he apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"It's alright," Akaashi said, and Bokuto was happy that he could hear amusement in his voice. "You lie to me, though."

"Do I?" Bokuto wondered, fighting the cloud of sleep that made it hard to think. He closed his eyes and rolled over onto his back.

"You keep saying you are not a good person."

"I do, don't I?" he murmured, feeling Akaashi move next to him. There was silence for an indefinable moment that made Bokuto drift even further and then Akaashi voice spoke right into his ear, making his heart quicken its pace and climb into his throat.

"It's not true."

Bokuto swallowed, "I lie, steal, and kill. We all do."

"Your lies protect people, you steal from those who encourage war, and you kill only if you have to."

"Those things are still wrong," Bokuto argued bitterly. "The whole universe is wrong." 

The AI was silent for a long while and the quiet would have lulled Bokuto to sleep, if it wasn't for the unexpected, but not unwelcome pressure of Akaashi's hand above his heart. "Am I, in this wrong universe, human enough for you?"

"Yes," Bokuto breathed out without hesitation, mesmerized by the sound of Akaashi's voice. He didn't dare to open his eyes when he felt a pair of soft, cold lips pres against his. The kiss what short and wavering, but the sweetest Bokuto ever shared. It didn't feel as if time has stopped like the poets claimed, it was more like a flash of a camera that burned an image into his mind, except instead of a picture, there was a mass of feelings blurring together. When Akaashi moved away Bokuto chased him on instinct, but the hand on his chest stopped him and he let his head fall back onto the pillow when he heard a shaky exhale.

"My life is a dream," Bokuto whispered as Akaashi raked his fingers through his half-dried hair, "I don't ever want to wake up."

"Aaaaw, that's so sweet, bro!" a voice suddenly filtered through the speaker by the door.

Bokuto's eyes snapped open, his body growing painfully rigid. He caught the sight of Akaashi's wide-eyed, spooked face, and his mind got stuck at  _murder._

"I didn't know you were hiding such a beautiful sappy streak!" There was the unmistakeable sound of a forced gag and a wheeze of laughter. "I'm so glad I didn't open the door, actually. Who knows what kind of sin we would find!"

"Kuroo, I swear to- how the fuck did you even hear us? There's a metal door between us!" Bokuto hollered, biting back a hiss when he twisted his body too fast and the wound on his shoulder reminded him of its hurt existence. He vaguely registered Akaashi's gently pushing him back down, but he was too busy being upset with the damn bed-head Tomcat to properly appreciate it.  

There was a loud hysteric laugh and a three smacks which were definitely Kuroo slapping his thigh before he got an answer. "My, my, someone's pissy! You know, if you had gone through the inventory I sent you instead of trying to seduce our dear Akaashi with your deep poetic lines, you would have found an item called 'sound amplifier' and maybe this wouldn't have happened!"

Bokuto gritted his teeth, "I will shove an amplifier up your ass if you don't get the fuck away from my door, I swear to god!" he threatened, mentally screaming when Akaashi hid his face in his hands and curled up into a very embarrassed ball next to him. "Why are you even on my ship! You're supposed to be piloting yours!"

"I've got people for that," and by people, he meant a very exasperated Kenma, "anyway, I am hurt! I come to check if you're alive and you treat me like dirty bacillus!"

"You're the plague! Get the fuck away for Christ's sake!"

"Are you also becoming religious? You mention the name of God too freely," Kuroo clucked his tongue.

"BRO!" Bokuto screamed frantically and then held his breath, slowly counting to ten. "You're still there, aren't you?" he asked, voice reflecting his slowly dying, embarrased soul.

"Yeah," Kuroo answered quietly, making Bokuto sigh.

He looked over at the still curled up Akaashi and carefully stroked his back, hoping that it would make him relax at least a little bit. He felt kind of bad for him, and more than sad that Kuroo interrupted their little private moment, catching them both totally off guard - especially Akaashi, who was very reserved and uncomfortable with personal things. He was afraid that Kuroo's little stunt might have done more damage than he actually intended. Bokuto had an apology on the tip of his tongue as he reached out to put a hand on the AI's trembling frame, only to reel back at the sound of Akaashi blowing a raspberry against the palm he was holding over his mouth.

The unflattering snort then turned into a full-fledged giggle - a sound Akaashi's never made before - and Bokuto found himself stunned, staring at him with his eyes wide and mouth gaping. He watched as Akaashi rolled onto his back and clutched his stomach, making no effort to conceal his laugh.

"Hey," Kuroo pounded at the door, "what the hell is happening in there? Was that Akaashi?! Why can't I open the damn door! Hey!" he complained, his voice gaining more and more urgency with each sentence.  "You never lock your door, what the hell! Bo, let me in!"

Akaashi looked as if he was slowly coming off his high, his voice quieting and turning into little cute hiccups that made Bokuto grin from ear to ear. 

"You two are horrible!" Akaashi huffed as he sat up and leaned over Bokuto, putting his hands on each side of his head.

"The worst," Bokuto wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "did you lock the door?"

Akaashi grinned, hiding his face in Bouto's shoulder. "Yeah," he admitted, his voice still coloured with laugh.

"Mmm, Akaashi is very mischievous today," Bokuto hummed, snaking an arm around the AI's shoulders as he wiggled into a more comfortable position convenient for them both.

"Ew, you're doing something indecent, aren't you!" Kuroo mocked from outside, kicking the door, "I need that inventory, bro! Stop corrupting Akaashi and do some work for once! I need that before we land!"

Bokuto couldn't care less. "That's still too far away," he hummed sleepily, giving Akaashi's shoulder a brief squeeze, "wake me up in five, please."

Kuroo made an outraged sound and then sighed in resignation. "Fine!" he spat sulkily, hitting the door once more for good measure. "Remember kids, practice safe--" the sound was cut off.

"I knew it was a good idea to let you take over the ship," Bokuto mused sleepily, rubbing his cheek against the top of Akaashi's head, enjoying the soft whisper of his circuits.

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Ten sound amplifiers and twenty crates of  _chalk?!_ " Bokuto groaned, pulling his hair, limping back and forth for the last two and a half hours while going through the damn inventory, "what the heck would Kuroo take twenty fucking crates of--  _why_ would they even have chalk on a weapon transporter? What would they use it for?" He shook his head in disbelief, staring thoughtfully into distance for good five minutes.

Akaashi, who was reclining on his bed and trying to contact Oikawa's place ever since they crossed the service area of Mars, lazily opened his eyes at the lack of whining, and regarded Bokuto with his usual apathetic stare. 

"Eating it and recreating the Big Bad Wolf?" was Bokuto's final guess. He raked his hand through his salt and pepper hair again. Akaashi followed the motion, wondering at how the left side of his hair stayed up while the other was limply hanging. Maybe the unconscious vice was the true reason why Bokuto styled his hair the way he did. He couldn't decide which hairstyle suited him better.

"Chalk does not make your voice softer, Bokuto."

"I've been living a lie my entire life," Bokuto announced in dead seriousness, his face a perfect picture of disappointment. "Any luck with Queen Bee?"

Akaashi shook his head and pushed himself up when Bokuto plopped down next to him. "Do you need more painkillers?"

"I'm fine, just a little stiff." He tilted his head toward the AI, batting his eyes at him.

"No," Akaashi quickly refused, knowing what Bokuto was asking for without even saying it.

"Come on! I'm a suffering injured man - just a little massage, please, please!" No matter how hard he begged, Akaashi would not give in. He just laid back down and rolled over, no longer interested.

Bokuto thankfully gave up after a few minutes and went back to sorting out the inventory, occasionally asking Akaashi for the most recent price changes on the Markets. He managed to finish the list within the next two hours, throwing the papers across the room with a groan just as Akaashi came to life again, apparently done dealing with arranging their landing.

"I think I will switch bodies while we're here," Akaashi announced hesitantly with a sour frown, "I need to recharge."

Bokuto frowned, "Something wrong?" he asked with mild worry. Akaashi usually retired to his casket to refresh his batteries sometime between fourteen and twenty days or before every raid in case of something getting wrong - it has been barely twenty hours since the last recharge.

"Oikawa," Akaashi clarified, making Bokuto laugh.

"Did he give you a hard time?" Akaashi nodded, fiddling with his hands. "Don't worry, he does that to people. I'll tell Iwa to get him off your back."

"We'll be landing soon."

Bokuto sighed, nervously running his hands through his hair, sweeping it backwards, and Akaashi decided that he liked it either way. He helped Bokuto dress up and they entered the hallway just as Sarukui came from around the corner, purposely striding towards them with a syringe in hand. Bokuto didn't even have time to greet him as the medic sprayed his bicep with an antiseptic and bore the needle straight in.

"Daily dose of antibiotics," he announced with a pointed look. "Don't let him walk around for too long," he said to Akaashi, and excused himself with a polite nod, walking away as if nothing happened.

"Ouch," Bokuto reacted, rubbing his arm, glaring with a pout. "What the hell?"

"He probably wanted to do that while you slept," Akaashi explained with a tiny confused shrug, "he ran away when I let him in."

"Oh," well, that explained a lot.

After Akaashi excused himself and left to switch bodies, Bokuto joined the others in the main lobby, ignoring Konoha's sleazy look as he greeted the crew. Kuroo was there too, waiting for him with his arms crossed on his chest and a shit-eating grin splitting his face.

Bokuto didn't give him the chance to speak, throwing the stack of papers right at his face when he joined him at the boarding ramp. "Chalk?" he asked incredulously, cocking an eyebrow.

Kuroo shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Do me a favour and put it in a digital format next time," Bokuto whined, punching the other captain in his arm when he waved the e-reader in front of his face.

After both ships were safely parked in the hangar, the crews lazily crawled out, filling the room with their satisfied moans as they stretched their limbs. Iwaizumi came to greet them, dragging himself dressed in pajama pants and an old flannel, sipping coffee from a pink cup that said 'I love my hubby' that Oikawa gave him last year for Christmas.

"Welcome back to Tartarus Market City, gentlemen," he said, "brought anything good?"

"Just the best!" Kuroo boasted, pressing the e-reader into his hand as he hugged him. "Fifteen percent is yours. Choose wisely."

"Do us all a favour and take all the chalk that's been taking up half of the space of our cargo bay," Bokuto remarked, as he awkwardly hugged him with his healthy arm.

Iwaizumi frowned, giving him a once-over. "Chalk? Why would you - no, I don't want to know. What happened to you?"

"A little hitch during the mission - nothing serious, " Bokuto grinned, "nice slippers."

"Yeah, nice limp," Iwaizumi returned, finishing his coffee in one gulp when he noticed Bokuto's yearning stare.

"Where's the mecha-princess?" Kuroo inquired, craning his neck to look around the hangar.

Iwaizumi shrugged, "probably dressing up? Ah, hello there!" he smiled when he noticed Keiji float out of the ship. The bot chirped back, letting the man pat him before he flew off to socialize with the other men.

"Yahoo!" a very familiar voice echoed throughout the room, immediately drawing all attention to the newcomer. Keiji automatically did a one-eighty and come back to Iwaizumi's side, much to Oikawa's disappointment. "Come on! This is not how you treat your mechanic!"

Bokuto and Iwaizumi exchanged looks and waited for the man to skip over to them.

"Why is he like that?" Oikawa pouted, as he exchanged his greetings with the two captains. "I told Akaashi to come, I've got something nice for him."

"Maybe he's had enough of ' _nice_ ' for one day," Kuroo jeered, wiggling his eyebrows at Bokuto who turned to glare back.

"Oh?" Oikawa looked between them inquisitively, "did I miss something important?"

"No, and you shut up," Bokuto grumbled, jabbing his finger at Kuroo's chest, then pointing it at Oikawa, "you stay away from Akaashi. It's your fault he didn't want to come out."

Iwaizumi shot Oikawa an irritated look, which the man totally ignored and let his jaw drop in an exaggerated horrified gasp, "so scandalous!" he grinned.

"Alright, are we unloading this or what?" Bokuto quickly tried to change the subject.

"I want a beer first, bro!" Kuroo chimed in impatiently, dragging a hand down his face.

Iwaizumi groaned. "It's seven in the fucking morning, man, let me at least digest the coffee." He turned on his heel and left, muttering silent 'alcoholics' under his breath.

Bokuto and Kuroo let their crews scatter away after they agreed that the unloading could wait and followed Iwaizumi into the building, crashing down in his kitchen. Oikawa busied himself chasing Keiji around while Iwaizumi dug around his fridge for beer for Kuroo and prepared a new cup of coffee for himself and Bokuto.

"There's going to be a winter celebration downtown - with fireworks and all that fancy stuff. Cheers," he wished, raising his second cup of coffee as the two captains clinked their bottles. "It should be starting in, like, nine days or so?"

"A carnival, actually," Oikawa corrected as he walked in, Keiji trapped under his arm, "you should definitely stay and enjoy yourselves! 

"I don't know," Kuroo murmured, gulping half of his beer down in one go, "I don't think it's safe for us to stay so long."

"Nah, it's going to be fine," Oikawa disagreed, waving his hand, "besides, all the crews are going to stop by, sooner or later. Our diary is filled with reservations! Everybody needs repairs and enhancement checkouts."

That sounded like a very busy schedule.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi's unnamed establishment in Elysium province was a public secret - a  sanctuary for all the pirates who needed help.

Mars was something like a big auction house of the entire galaxy, having both legal and black markets that made the cities. It was the safest place for all pirates to sell stolen loot.

Most of the legal markets were around the equator and on the high planes; Lunae, Sinai and Meridiani Capital Market being the biggest ones. The pirates, however, usually gathered in the the black markets. They were in the in the east, the capital being Hesperia Planum -  the blackest of them all. That place belonged to the mafia, and there were only a few people from the outside circles who were willing to trade there. Tartarus Market City was in the mountains north-east from Hesperia - a perfectly neutral place with only a few slums and a fairly low criminal activity.

Oikawa was the best mechanic on the planet. He specialized in making artificial limbs and body enhancements, and with Iwaizumi being one of the best surgeons, they opened a business of their own, dedicating their lives to putting people together and trading information.

They were originally pirates too - and quite popular as well - but after Oikawa lost his leg in an accident, Iwaizumi said enough and they settled down, making a more-or-less honest living. Oikawa, being not only a genius mechanic but also a smooth talker, threw himself into socializing as soon as they had their own solid roof over their head, and little by little, he managed to chat his way up around the entire city and strike a deal with the police forces, trading various kinds of information for the promise that they will turn a blind eye on the pirates who periodically dropped by, which turned out to be a much smaller problem than he originally anticipated. Nobody expected the highest police chief himself would acknowledge the fact that the title of a 'Pirate' was just a label given by the political warmongers who made money by spilling blood.

The word got around the galaxy fairly quickly and the pair was soon flooded with appointments and requests from more than just pirates, which brought them more money and fame than they'd ever imagined. 

"The more reason to leave," Bokuto murmured, resting his chin in his hand.

"Aw, are you still afraid to run into Ushiwaka?" Oikawa laughed, startling when Keiji vibrated and renewed his attempts to get free. He let him go only after Iwaizumi clucked his tongue and glared. "Don't worry, he's busy smuggling medicine and visiting family."

"What did you do to him?" Bokuto bemoaned when Keiji plopped into his lap with an angry beep.

Oikawa shrugged, his face the epitome of innocence, "it's just a little bow! Come on, he's cute!"

Keiji vibrated angrily, as if trying to shake off the bow tied around his left antenna. Bokuto indulged him by taking it off.

"Look, you need to stay here for at least three or four days if you want to put everything on sale. You can catch up with the other crews and have a good time, maybe scout the markets for new goodies - besides, you can't do much in that jacked up state," Oikawa summarized with a sassy smirk, wiggling his finger at Bokuto as he pointedly eyed him from head to toes.

Kuroo was the first to give in, announcing his decision with an exaggerated shrug. "Well, we haven't done anything remotely entertaining for a good while, we might as well stay. I'm sure everyone will be glad to catch a break."

"Exactly!" Oikawa clapped enthusiastically, bouncing on the spot. "When was the last time you saw fireworks, anyway?"

"Fourteen hours ago when I was busy dashing between plasma bullets," Kuroo joked and Keiji made a little questioning beep, turning around on Bokuto's legs, scanning the room.

"What's up with him?" Iwaizumi inquired, arching an eyebrow when the bot made another questioning sound and shortly after that, the generic sound of Bokuto's phone announced an incoming message. He put Keiji on the table and took the device out, silently reading the text.

Kuroo automatically leaned over his shoulder to peek, breaking into a bout of giggles. "Looks like we're staying.".

"Akaashi wants to see the fireworks," Bokuto clarified when he received two confused looks, pocketing his phone with a resigned sigh.

"Ooh, he has you wrapped around his finger, man!" Oikawa taunted happily, giving Keiji a thumbs up.

Nobody protested when they broke the news to the crews, and even Kenma seemed to be excited about the change of plans. After Iwaizumi crossed off his and Oikawa's fifteen percent of the cargo they all plunged into unloading, managing to store everything before the sunset. Most of the men then decided it was a great time to go out for entertainment, and after everyone signed their shares from the loot they said their goodbyes and headed downtown to the clubs.

Bokuto, Kuroo and few others stayed behind, throwing their own little party when Iwaizumi took out his grill and two full crates of beer.

Sometime around midnight, Oikawa joined with a happy skip in his step, dragging Akaashi behind him. "I've got good news and bad news," he announced impishly, putting his hands on his hips.

Iwaizumi groaned and after Kuroo prompted him to start with the good ones, he stepped to the side and presented Akaashi with a grand theatrical gesture, making him turn around so everyone could get a good look. "The good news is: I have saved this poor being from walking around in those horrible clothes you gave him!"

The AI squirmed under their attention, shyly tugging at the hem of the knitted, two-sizes too big, black and gold pullover, hiding the lower part of his face in its wide turtleneck collar.

Kuroo snickered, "I bet he did it 'coz Akaashi was rocking those shorts better than he ever could," he whispered, making Iwaizumi choke on his beer.

"Har-har, asshole," Oikawa flipped him off, clearing his throat.

"Is that why you bullied him? Because you wanted to dress him up as a doll?" Bokuto grouched, rolling his eyes. He had to admit that those baggy sweats looked awesome, though - not that he would say it out loud, Oikawa had his ego stroked more than enough.

"Maybe?" Oikawa snorted, and Akaashi used the moment to slip away and sit down next to Bokuto who eyed him longer than strictly necessary.

"So, what's the bad news?" Kuroo reminded, opening a new bottle.

"The bad news is that I have just received two very interesting emails," Oikawa paused dramatically, typing something on his tablet and then passing it to Iwaizumi.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Iwaizumi laughed, covering his gaping mouth. After exchanging a frown with Bokuto, Kuroo marched over to Iwaizumi, taking the tablet from him, kicking his deck chair when the man laughed louder.

After a brief pause, Kuroo slapped his forehead, bursting out laughing as well, "lucky fucking bastards - they did it!" he said, pushing the tablet into Bokuto's hands. "Look at it!"

"Alright, calm down," he turned the tablet around to see, finding Oikawa's inbox loaded on the screen. He clicked the first message, which was from someone Oikawa filed under 'Monster-nin-Tendou' and it was a short message saying "fuck the crows" in bold capital letters followed by an unhealthy amount of exclamation marks and an angry emoticon. The second one was from 'Daddy-Crow' or Sawamura, the captain of Karasuno, containing a slightly blurred photo of the entire crew, definitely in the middle of celebrating, judging by the colourful paper hats, confetti and champagne flutes everyone was holding. Bokuto scrolled down to the text that said: "Space Fortress Omicron down - we got stuff worth more than 150mil, Swans were two days behind. Crowning the ginger child, cheers!"  

Bokuto stared at the message with his mouth wide opened.

"How does it feel to be back in third place, captain owl?" Oikawa snickered, making himself comfortable next to Iwaizumi.

"Like I've travelled back in time," Bokuto snorted, shaking his head. He tried to look upset but gave up when the men around him doubled over in laughter, joining them by raising his bottle of beer and loudly cheering. Bokuto noticed Akaashi looking around the group in silent confusion, a tiny crease appearing between his brows when he sat down next to him and draped a hand across his shoulders, telling him not to worry about it.

It was three hours later, when everyone was knocked out bundled up in blankets and snoring, that Bokuto finally relaxed, enjoying the view of the stars through the domed paneling that surrounded the city, Akaashi snuggled up against his side.

"Bokuto," Akaashi spoke silently, sitting up.  

"Mm?"

"Aren't you sad about being third again? You said your dream was to be the king of the Space Pirates."

Bokuto tilted his head and smiled, opening his arms as an invite for a hug. Akaashi hesitated but after a quick scan around the room, he laid down, letting the man wrap him in his blanket.  

"You know, it's kinda unfair," Bokuto said, twirling Akaashi's curl in his fingers, "with you by my side, nothing is impossible - and I don't mean it in the cheesy way. I mean, I do, but-" he joked, giggling when Akaashi slapped his chest with a click of his tongue. "What I mean is - I am happy for Karasuno. They've fought hard to get there. Besides, it's not like we can't take the title away from them anytime we want, right?"

Akaashi was quiet for a while, drawing circles onto Bokuto's chest with his finger. "So, you're saying I'm too much of an advantage?"

"Akaashi! That's not what I meant!" Bokuto whined with a pout, laughing when he noticed the AI's sassy smirk. "Oikawa's a bad influence! We're leaving tomorrow!" he threatened jokingly, catching Akaashi's wrists when he tried to slap him again.

"Oh my god, you two," Kuroo's fed up voice echoed from the hangar, "your lovey-dovey banter is physically hurting me. Stop!"

* * *

When the morning came and the first hungover crewmembers stumbled in, Akaashi woke Bokuto up with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the last shot of antibiotics in the other. They joined the others for breakfast Iwaizumi dutifully cooked up, and discussed the main problem at hand - the twenty boxes of chalk whose purpose is still a mystery to all of them, except Kuroo who refused to explain.

Bokuto nagged him about it the whole morning, and when he got to the point where he started threatening him with throwing out his stash of salted mackerels, Kuroo finally gave in. Bokuto expected some genius strategic plan, but Kuroo surprised him by getting all embarrassed all of a sudden, saying he wanted the chalk so he could give it to the kids in the slums and maybe play some games while they were still on solid ground. They spent the day doing what Kuroo wanted and when the evening rolled by, all the crewmembers entertained themselves trying to break the record in creating the longest hopscotch in the history of mankind while Iwaizumi grumbled from behind the grill.

Even Akaashi got dragged in, by Kenma of all people, and Bokuto watched them playing their own, smaller version, from his perch on the top of his ship. He squinted in the distance, momentarily marvelling at the beautiful copper and blue hues of the evening sky before opening his diary, putting the tip of his pen against the paper.

It has been a while since he wrote anything, and despite a lot of things going on in his life lately, he couldn't find the right words to put down. He looked at the sunset again and then at Akaashi who caught his stare and graced him with a tiny smile.

Bokuto remembered the thing he met in the ship - the vengeful, unknown being haunting a cold, forgotten ship. So different from the man who brings him coffee every morning and plays hopscotch in the evening, dressed in a baggy knitted sweater.

He grinned back and waved, hastily scribbling down his last sentence on the empty page and jumping down to join the game.

_"Everything was worth it."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Did you like? If yes, then I´ve got good (lol not rly) news for you: there´s gonna be a little spinoff (can you guess what it´s gonna be about? the hint (winky smiley face) is in the second last sentence mwa ha ha).... sometime in the future when the finals let me breathe. :P Don´t forget to drop a Kudo or a comment! ^^ Hope you enjoyed it!


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